‘Excessive protests’ by BJP shows guilty mind: Cong

Congress on Tuesday said “excessive protests” by BJP even before contents of the Liberhan Commission report are out show a “guilty mind”. “Excessive protests by the BJP in advance reflects a guilty mind,” party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said reacting to BJP’s statements after the Liberhan Commission probing the Babri mosque demolition in 1992 submitted its report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

Senior party leader and AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Digivjay Singh said that there was a conspiracy to bring down the Babari mosque and the entire world has seen who all were involved. “Government will place the report before the people. A conspiracy was hatched… the entire world has seen on television that BJP leaders were involved…What is there to prove,” Singh said and took names of BJP leaders Uma Bharti,Vinay Katiyar,Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani and Kalyan Singh as those accused in the case. Singh alleged that the entire emotion (leading to the demolition of the mosque) was whipped up by Advani’s Rathyatra. Singh said that the then UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has already got punishment from the Supreme Court and he had also apologised for it. “Advani ji claims that he was shedding tears when the mosque was demolished but the BJP leaders say that it is a matter of pride for them. This is double-faced character of BJP,” Singh added.

Another party spokesperson Manish Tewari said that the Government will take appropriate action on the report of the Commission. “The Commission has submitted its report. Government will now study the report and take appropriate action,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said. He added that the Government will “apply its mind” and come to “appropriate conclusions”. Welcoming the submission of the Commission report,another party leader Shakeel Ahmed said,”the country will come to know the truth behind the incident of the mosque demolition when the government takes the next step”.

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Meanwhile Singhvi also justified the extensions given to the Liberhan Commission saying “different governments of diverse political colours had extended the term of the judicial commission.” The Commission,which was set up 17 years back after the demolition of the mosque in 1992,got 48 extensions. The panel has become the country’s longest serving Commission of Enquiry.

Retd Justice M S Liberhan today submitted the report to the Prime Minister in presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram. The contents of the report were not immediately known.