Press Trust of India / New Delhi Nov 23, 2009, 12:13 IST
Liberhan Commission report on the demolition of Babri Majid stalled Parliament today despite the government's assurance that the report along with the ATR would be tabled in the current session.
Responding to opposition members' concern over the leakage of the report, Home Minister P Chidambaram said in the Lok Sabha that the report along with Action Taken Report would be tabled in this session which concludes on December 21.
Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed noisy scenes soon after they assembled for the day with BJP members later storming the well demanding immediate tabling of the voluminous report along with the ATR.
Leader of Opposition L K Advani, who had given a notice to Speaker Meira Kumar demanding a debate on the issue, said he was surprised that the contents of the report were leaked.
Expressing shock over the indictment of senior party leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the report as published in a newspaper, Advani said "had I been indicted I would have it as a challenge."
Government has no right to delay tabling the report by even a day, he said.
The Leader of the Opposition said the demolition of the mosque was the "saddest day of my life" but "personally, I am proud of my involvement with the Ayodhya movement".
"I want a grand Ram Temple be built there", he said.
Expressing shock over the indictment of senior party leader and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the report as published in a newspaper, Advani said "had I been indicted I would have it as a challenge."
Government has no right to delay tabling the report by even a day, he said.
The Leader of the Opposition said the demolition of the mosque was the "saddest day of my life" but "personally, I am proud of my involvement with the Ayodhya movement".
"I want a grand Ram Temple be built there", he said.
Chidambaram said there was only one copy of the report and it was in the "safe custody" of the Home Ministry.
"It is unfortunate that a newspaper has carried ... What purports to be the contents of the (Liberhan) Report. I refrain from commenting on correctness or otherwise.....No one from the Home Ministry has spoken to any journalist...", he said.
The Liberhan Commission report was submitted to the Government on June 30 and it is required to table it in both the Houses along with the ATR within six months.
"We have already announced that it will be tabled in the current session", he said.
Other than the BJP, leaders from Samajwadi Party, BSP and CPI-M also demanded an explanation from the government on how the report was leaked to the media and said it should be tabled in Parliament at the earliest.
"How the report was leaked to the media should be made clear by the Home Minister....The report should be tabled by the government by the end of the week," SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said in the Lok Sabha.
He said if Advani was proud of his association with the Ayodhya Movement, he was proud that he fought them (BJP) and protected the mosque.
Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M) said Liberhan Commission was the "longest Commission in the country".
"It should be brought before the House," he said.
BSP MP Dara Singh Chauhan also demanded tabling of the report and said it was "unfortunate" that it had been leaked to the press.
Arjun Charan Sethi (BJD) also demanded tabling of the report and expressed surprise at how it was leaked.
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