SP arousing communal sentiments by bringing up Ayodhya: Shahnawaz Hussain

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Tuesday accused Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav of arousing communal sentiments across the country by claiming that former President Shankar Dayal Sharma was aware of plans to demolish the Babri Masjid before it actually took place.

Yadav claimed that Sharma had personally conveyed this information to him when they met on December 4, 1992.

Hussain described Yadav's statement as purely political and demanded to know that if he was know about planned demolition of the mosque, why didn't he speak up before and prevent the widespread communal violence in the country that followed.

"Whatever happened in Ayodhya, the court will judge. The case is in the courts and Hindus and Muslims of the country are trying to find a way forward. Mulayam Singh Yadav is once again trying to trigger communal sentiments in the country for the sake of politics. The Samajwadi wants to disrupt the communal harmony in Uttar Pradesh and it is absolutely not acceptable to us," Hussain said.

"If Mulayam Singh Yadav knew about the demolition, then what was he doing? He must answer this. What was he doing as a senior politician of Uttar Pradesh at the time? He must take responsibility and answer as to why he was sitting at home knowing that the demolition was going to happen," Hussain added.

Mulayam recalled that on December 4, 1992, he met President Shankar Dayal Sharma and asked him to intervene to stop the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

"We gave him a letter. We told him the masjid would be brought down. Shankar Dayal Sharma read the letter and discussed with us. He looked around here and there and then he told us that he hoped we would not tell anyone. Then, he said, the masjid will certainly be brought down. Shankar Dayal Sharma said this," Yadav said.

Two separate FIRs were registered in connection with the December 6, 1992 incident with the first holding kar sevaks responsible for the demolition of the structure, while the second FIR was against eight leaders of the BJP, VHP and RSS for giving provocative speeches and shouting slogans from a stage 175 meters away from the disputed site.