New Delhi, December 07: The BJP on Monday rubbished the Liberhan Commission report on Babri Masjid demolition, saying it was full of mistakes and far from the truth.
Opening the debate on the Liberhan Commission report for his party in Lok Sabha, BJP president Rajnath Singh said the report was a distortion of facts and was written with a particular political agenda.
He also accused the Commission of arriving at a conclusion based on events of a few hours, while filing to go into the events preceding the incident (demolition).
The BJP president told the House that whatever happened on December 6, 1992 was an outcome of widespread public anger and hence not planned.
Rajnath also objected to the report using the term ‘Babri Masjid complex’, saying the legal term for the disputed site was ‘Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi complex’.
Referring to the chapter in the report on BJP, Rajnath said no Commission has the authority to comment on any particular political party. “We condemn the Commission for calling BJP an irresponsible party,” he added.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram interrupted Rajnat’s speech, reminding the House that the members should refrain from debating whether temple existed at the disputed site, as the matter was sub-judice.
“The only thing we are discussing here is who demolished the structure… the circumstances leading to the Babri Masjid demolition,” the Home Minister stated.
Rajnath meanwhile said the report had also listed Congress MP Jagdambika Pal as an accused, calling him a kar sewak.
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CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta, who along with CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia had moved the notice for discussion on the commission report and the ATR, had in his opening remarks accused the BJP of meticulously planning the demolition of Babri Masjid.
The CPI leader said the then ruling Congress government at the Centre had failed to do its job of protecting the monument.
Congress MP Jagdambika Pal meanwhile defended the then prime minister Narsimha Rao, saying, “If Vajpayee and Advani claim they didn’t know (in advance about Babri Masjid demolition plan), how would have Rao known it”.
Today is the first day of two-day debate on the Liberhan Commission report in Lok sabha. The discussion is being held under Rule 193 and does not entail voting.
The Rajya Sabha is scheduled to take up discussion on the report December 9 and 10.
Several leaders of the BJP, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of Opposition LK Advani, have been indicted by the Liberhan Commission report that probed the Babri Masjid demolition.
The discussion was originally slated for December 1 but was postponed after the Samajwadi Party insisted that copies of report should be made available in Hindi also.
–Agencies