Nothing unusual in Liberhan debate

NEW DELHI: If the Liberhan Commission report, and ATR tabled by the government along with it, has been dubbed as a dud by most political commentators, so was the debate that ensued in the Lok Sabha on the subject on Monday.

The debate, which took off in the Lok Sabha here on Monday afternoon, was, by all accounts, lacklustre, bereft of any meaningful intervention. The members merely tried to score brownie points, with Congress trying to pit the blame for the demolition of the Babri Masjid on BJP and its affiliates and the Opposition benches targeting Congress for ‘uncorking’ the communal genie.

SP and BSP, which are vying with Congress to grab the `secular’ space in the politically-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, made a desperate bid to hold the principal ruling party at the Centre equally responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

``My charge is that Congress and BJP were hand-in-glove. The demolition of the Babri Masjid could take place only because of their connivance,’’ Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav alleged in the Lok Sabha.

With an eye on the Muslim votes, who account for some 16% of the electorate in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yadav sought to project his party as the most powerful champion of the minority cause, which had to pay a heavy price for trying to protect the Babri Masjid. ``The mosque was a symbol of the country’s unity, integrity and social harmony. Events before the demolition had created an atmosphere of mistrust between Hindus and Muslims all across the country,’’ the SP chief said, adding, ``It was to restore this trust that we had take to take recourse to firing. Sixteen lives were lost to protect the mosque.’’

The SP chief accused the Congress of bringing the Babri Masjid dispute to life.

He blamed the policies pursued by successive Congress governments at the Centre for most of the problems confronting the country, including unemployment, agrarian crisis, border rows.