Hey Ram! ‘Demolition squad’ gets that sinking feeling

NEW DELHI: Already battling a debilitating infighting at the top, cadre demoralisation and doubts about its ability to stay afloat, the Liberhan Commission report is expected to complicate matters of the BJP. There is a real possibility that the commission will indict the party���s leadership for their role in creating the atmosphere for the demolition.

If that happens, the latter will have a lot of explanation to do before the people. Moreover, it could force allies such as the JD(U), which is engaged in a determined bid to woo the Muslims, to do a rethink on its ties with the BJP.

Contrary to what many had expected, the report of the commission set up to probe the Babri demolition was submitted after the Lok Sabha polls. As if its debacle in polls was not enough, the BJP has since then been ravaged by a bitter war of succession. All this has dealt a severe blow to cadre morale.

It is against this backdrop that Liberhan Commission has submitted its report. The Congress, not surprisingly, latched on to it, bringing its principal political adversary under its firing-line. There are indications that the ruling party will use the commission���s findings to keep up the heat on beleaguered saffron leadership.

It remains to be seen whether the report will have a unifying effect on the leadership. Unlike in the past, when such events saw the leaders burying their differences to present a semblance of unity, the surfacing of its finding may end up sharpening the cleavages now.

For the BJP, another big worry is that the commission���s findings could lead to Muslims to rally behind the Congress. The just-concluded Lok Sabha polls saw the community shedding its hostility towards the ruling party in the heartland states.

The BJP has, for the moment, withheld its formal comments on the report, and said it���d prefer to come out with a structured response only after it���s made public. ���The party leaders had tried to prevent the demolition. Evidences have been placed before the commission,��� party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

He, at the same time, reiterated that Hindus all over the world wanted the Ram temple to be built at the site. ���But we want a constructive solution of the entire dispute,������ he maintained.