BJP slams Congress over National Herald article on Ayodhya verdict

The BJP on Sunday slammed the Congress for an article in the 'National Herald' on the Ayodhya issue, which said that the Supreme Court verdict reminded of the actions of the apex court of Pakistan, and accused the opposition party of duplicity.

The party's attack came even as National Herald, run by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) that is managed by senior Congress leaders, pulled down the article from its website.

The newspaper, however, did not react to the BJP's criticism.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the opinion piece said that "the Supreme Court of India has ruled exactly what Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP wanted from the beginning, even after accepting that installing idols and demolition of the mosque was unlawful".

The write up claimed the Ayodhya verdict reminds of the Supreme Court of Pakistan which had reportedly allowed certain "illegal actions" by Pakistan's the then Governor General Ghulam Muhammad.

Patra said it was "sad" that such a write up has appeared in the paper.

"There is no judicial system as transparent as India's," the BJP spokesperson said, adding that the article "exposed the duplicity of the Congress".

Meanwhile, the newspaper pulled down another opinion piece on the Ayodhya verdict and issued an apology on its Twitter handle.