Oppn slams Mulayam's Ayodhya remarks

The Opposition in Uttar Pradesh has slammed Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's statement defending his decision to order firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya in 1990 saying the veteran leader is making such statements to consolidate "Muslim votes in his favour".
"First Mulayam said he was sad over the incident (in January), now he says, to preserve the unity and integrity of the country even the death of 30 people would not have perturbed him," BJP state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.
Sixteen people had died in the police firing in 1990 when the Ram Temple issue was at its peak.

Last week, Mulayam had said "death even of 30 people would not have perturbed him" as the police firing was necessary to preserve the unity and integrity of the country.
Pathak alleged Mulayam had always practised politics of appeasement.
"The SP supremo is giving such statements with an eye on the 2017 Assembly polls," he said.

Chairman of Congress communications department in the state Satyadev Tripathi said Mulayam was raking up old issues before the Assembly polls next year.
"Mulayam is continuously speaking about firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya to consolidate Muslim vote bank before 2017 polls. Otherwise it doesn't mean anything," he said.

Mulayam had also said BJP termed him the "murderer of humanity" when he tried to justify his action, but had asked how would he have upheld his position as the chief minister had he not ordered firing on the kar sevaks who were insisting to build a Ram temple at the disputed site.
Speaking at a book release function, he had also asked what "the Muslim population would have thought" had he not ordered the firing.
In January, Mulayam had said he "felt sad" about having ordered firing on kar sewaks in Ayodhya but it was necessary to save the religious place.