Law of land should prevail, guilty punished: Cong on Ayodhya

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The guilty in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case should be punished, the Congress said today as it asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put to test his morality about which he "talks a lot".
The Congress, however, did not directly demand the resignation of Union minister Uma Bharti or Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, who are also named in the case and instead talked about morality that Modi preaches about.
"The prime minister talks a lot and extols about morality. He should put his morality to test after this verdict.
"We leave it to the prime minister's conscience on how he reacts morally to this extensive judgement of the Supreme Court," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.

Incidentally, the Congress had earlier raised a hue and cry and stalled Parliament when allegations were levelled against Union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, besides Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
"The Supreme Court has spoken. Let justice be done and the guilty punished," Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, reacting to the Supreme Court order restoring a criminal conspiracy charge against BJP leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi and Bharti.

On whether the Congress party would petition the President over Kalyan's role in the case, Tewari said the basic question on whether he be made the governor at all arises as he was jailed for a day for violating the Supreme Court verdict earlier.

"The demand for resignations are made before those who believe in morality. The track record of this government for the last three years is such that it is a perfect example of immorality and insensitivity," Tewari said.
The Congress also urged Modi to ensure that his ministers maintained a "high standard of morality". Uma Bharti is the Minister for Water Resources in the Modi Cabinet.
"The law is equal for everyone irrespective of stature, caste, creed, religion or region," he said.
Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal also expressed satisfaction over the order and hoped that Modi would remember his "pronouncements" on morality.

"As far as other issues concerned, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always very committed to the cause of morality. Those are his public pronouncements. Occasionally, he forgets morality when it comes to his ministers. Let us hope he doesn't forget (it) this time," he said.
He said after 25 years, the cause of justice has taken a substantial step forward. "At least now it has been demonstrated that the majesty of the law is intact and that justice will be granted."
He recalled an old film -- "Bees Saal Baad" -- and said today's development was like a new film -- "25 Saal Baad", which would finish in the next two years. Sibal was referring to the fact that the court had asked that the proceedings be completed in two years.

Asked about Bharti's reaction that she will not quit and will give away her life for the Ram temple's cause, Tewari said the Supreme Court's decision has "obviously rattled the minister".
"Therefore, she is trying to shoot from the hip and I do not think that such a reprehensible preposterous statement needs to be dignified with a comment," he said.
On Bharti referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots claiming that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had sought to justify the killings after Indira Gandhi's assassination, Tewari said the Congress and the former UPA government have repeatedly expressed regret about what happened in 1984 in Delhi.

He said this is unlike people now in power, "who have been completely unapologetic of the pogroms which have happened under their watch".
Tewari said "it just shows that the government and especially the minister in question is completely and absolutely rattled".
Earlier in the day, the apex court allowed a CBI plea restoring a criminal conspiracy charge against Advani, Joshi and Bharti in the 1992 demolition case.
The court clubbed the trials in the matter pending against the leaders and 'karsevaks' and ordered a day-to-day hearing.