Lalu blames Congress for Babri Masjid demolition

In controversial remarks, RJD chief Lalu Prasad said Congress, too, was responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid as it did not save it, prompting quick rebuttal by the Congress today which said the comments were unfortunate.

“Bol rahe Babri Masjid girane wale... Aur Congress party bhi hai girane wala, bachaya nahin” (about Babri Masjid demolition, Congress party is also responsible for it, it did not save it), Yadav said during an election rally in Manigachi in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, about 150 km from Patna, in an obvious reference to the Congress government then ruling at the Centre.

Reacting to Yadav’s comments, Union Minister Vayalar Ravi said, “I do not know how he can make such a statement. But it is unfortunate and not expected from Yadav. Lalu and all the people must understand that they have good relations with the government.”

 

It is the BJP-Shiv Sena along with hindutva elements that demolished the mosque in 1992. Yadav knows it better that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader LK Advani who are responsible for it. Advani, he said, was present in Ayodhya and witnessed the demolition.

Lalu, who had recently been chastised by the Election Commission for his ‘crush-under-the-roller’ remark against BJP candidate Varun Gandhi, described BJP as ‘Bharat jalao party’.

“The BJP is Bharat jalao party. It wants to see that India is up in flames,” he said.

Dismissing Yadav's allegation as “baseless”, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the RJD chief’s off-the-cuff comments coming in the midst of elections doesn’t show the senior leader in good light.

Another Congress leader, Verappa Moily also deprecated Yadav saying division of opinion at a time when the secular forces were fighting communal elements was “most unfortunate”.

The BJP scoffed at Yadav’s comments coming at this juncture. “Yadav has been a union minister for the last five years and still is a member of the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

“Actually, both the Congress and Yadav are two sides of the same coin because whenever Congress has its eye on the Muslim vote bank, then it is reminded of this old incident,” BJP spokesman Balbir Punj said.