New Delhi, November 21
Union Home Minister L. K. Advani today condemned Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists for storming the disputed structure in Ayodhya. He emphasised that a long-lasting solution to the temple issue could be found only through mutual consensus between Hindus and Muslims.
“I have said it before and I repeat it today that I condemn whatever leading lights of the VHP did on October 17,” Mr Advani said, replying to the calling attention motion in the Rajya Sabha.
The Home Minister said while there could be only two solutions — through court order and through mutual consensus — the latter seemed to be the best course available. The solution through court seemed difficult since many more evidences for the title itself needed to be completed and many witnesses in the case had since passed away.
Rejecting the argument put forward by his own party member B. P. Singhal that the VHP leaders, including Mr Ashok Singhal, performed puja at the makeshift temple without violating the orders of the high court, Mr Advani said “Since the Supreme Court did not endorse the high court’s order, a status quo should be maintained.”
Dissatisfied with the Home Minister’s reply, members of the Congress and Left parties staged a walkout towards the end of the proceedings.
Opposition leaders wanted to know from the Home Minister what steps had been taken to thwart the threat wielded by the VHP to begin the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site in March, 2002.
Earlier, making a detailed statement on the October 17 incident, the Home Minister said the Union Government was fully conscious of its responsibility of maintaining peace, amity and communal harmony in the country and, therefore, as soon as it learnt about the incident the state government was directed to fix responsibility on those guilty and punish them.
A court of inquiry was
ordered by the Director-General, CRPF, he said, adding that according to reports available from the state government, two senior officials — a magistrate and a deputy superintendent of police — responsible for the incident had been suspended.
The CRPF has also replaced the company on duty transferred the deputy commandant and an inspector of the unit responsible for the incident. Departmental action had been initiated against the officials concerned, he said.
The Home Minister said the Uttar Pradesh Government had also been directed to review the security scheme for Ayodhya. Accordingly, a review took place on October 31, 2001, he said.
As per the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Security on Ayodhya, the security has been further beefed up and the roles and responsibilities of all concerned have been defined unambiguously and normal Standard Operating Procedures as well as contingency plans to meet all eventualities have been laid down, he said.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Cr PC as a measure to further strengthen the security arrangements there have already been promulgated, he said.
Earlier, the Opposition charged the ruling BJP and Sangh Parivar with raking up the Ayodhya issue with an eye on the coming assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh.
“The BJP government is hoping to win votes in the UP poll” by raising the Ayodhya issue at this point of time, Congress and CPM members said.
Though the state government was prompt in taking action against officials, why no action was taken against VHP activists despite lodging of an FIR, asked senior Congress member Suresh
Pachouri.
