BJP demands statement from PM on Babri demolition

Kolkata, Nov 25 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday demanded a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the central government's role on the day the Babri mosque was razed in Ayodhya.

Pointing out that Manmohan Singh was the number two man in the then P.V. Narasimha Rao government, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told reporters here that the prime minister "should come out with a statement, as Narasimha Rao is not there now".

Accusing the Congress of leaking the Liberhan Commission report to the media before it was tabled in parliament, Javadekar said his party would serve a breach of privilege notice on the issue.

"Leaking the report was a political move on the part of the Congress. The party wanted to isolate the BJP. But that did not happen. The chorus of demand from the opposition benches forced the Congress to submit the report," he said.

Javadekar once again said that his party rejected the report, which has indicted senior BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"There is nothing in it. It deserves to be thrown into the waste paper basket. We reject it," he said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), meanwhile, demanded that the central government initiate action as per the recommendations in the report and punish the guilty.

"The report says religion and politics must not be mixed. This is what we Leftists say. India is a multi-religious country and the state has no religion. All those who have been nailed in the report must be punished," CPI-M politburo member Biman Bose said.

The Liberhan panel report, which was tabled in parliament Tuesday, has indicted members of the Sangh Parivar for razing of the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya. The vandalism and destruction triggered communal riots across the country.