Come clean on White Paper stands, Liberhan panel to Centre

Come clean on White Paper stands, Liberhan panel to Centre
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, FEB 20: The Liberhans Commission probing demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya in 1992, today asked the Centre to spell out its stand on the White Paper brought out by P V Narasimha Rao Government on the issue in 1993.

"Do you own it or not? Tell me clearly," Commission Chairman Justice M S Liberhans asked Central Government Counsel Lala Ram Gupta when he was cross examining former prime minister Rao on certain points of the White Paper relating to security around the disputed structure.

However, without giving a clear answer to the query posed by the Commission, Gupta said "I just want to know if all possible measures were taken to save the structure."

As Gupta again tried to put some questions to Rao on the White Paper, the Commission sought a clarification from him saying "Is it the stand of the Central Government that the White Paper is a lie?"

Gupta again ignored the poser from the Commission and said that Government wanted that correct information should come out about the steps taken by the then Government.

When I B Singh, counsel for the then District Magistrate of Faizabad asked Rao if there was any specific intelligence report from IB or any other official agency regarding any plan to demolish the structure, the former prime minister said "not any regular official agency."

However, Rao said that he was aware of rumours regarding plans to pull down the disputed structure and had asked the IB to verify them.