Will not resign, conspiracy charges not proven: Uma Bharti

BJP leader Uma Bharti on Wednesday said she would not resign as Union Minister and that the charges of conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case have not yet been proven against her.

Her remarks came after the Supreme Court revived the conspiracy charge in the Babri Masjid demolition case against her and senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Kalyan Singh, who is Rajasthan Governor, among others.

"I am not one of those who is greedy for power. I resigned as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh after a case was registered against me in the Tiranga (national flag) case," Uma Bharti, Union Water Resources Minister, told reporters.

Asked whether she would resign as Union Minister as the Congress party has demanded her resignation, Uma Bharti said, "The charge has not been proved."

"The Congress, which was behind the Emergency and 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has no moral right to ask for my resignation," Uma Bharti said, terming the Congress demand "hypocritical" as in the aftermath of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, neither was Sonia Gandhi nor former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi indicted.

On Wednesday, restoring the conspiracy charge in the demolition case, a bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman also transferred the trial from Rae Bareli to Lucknow.

She refuted any conspiracy behind the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque.

"There was no conspiracy. Everything was open. Yes I was there...I was involved in the Ayodhya movement...A conspiracy would imply that something was done in secret… Whatever happened was in full public view...The question of conspiracy does not arise," she said.

Uma Bharti said she was ready to "sacrifice her life" for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and would visit the place on Thursday to offer prayers to Ram Lala.

"A grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is my dream. I am ready to go to prison or be hanged for India and Ram mandir. I will do whatever it takes to see the Ram temple is constructed...Ram temple will be built. The time has come to construct the temple," she said.

Uma Bharti said her lawyer will pursue the case, and added that it was the Ram Janmbhoomi movement due to which the Bharatiya Janata Party is power today.

Uma Bharti said she had not spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

--IANS

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