The leaked contents of the Liberhan Commission report evoked a strong reaction from Muslims. The Sangh Parivar, which the report allegedly holds responsible for razing the disputed structure, was not the only one to face their ire, however. The Congress also came in for equal criticism.
The angry clergy claimed the Congress’ “errors of commission and omission” led to the demolition. “The Congress can never escape blame,” Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, Lucknow’s naib imam and a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, said. “Even now, its role is in doubt. The report was submitted to the government almost six months ago, but it is yet to be tabled in parliament… it seems the Congress has a lot to hide,” he said.
Most Muslim leaders DNA spoke to said the leaked report vindicated their claims. “It’s clear now that it’s a rabid religious group of fanatics, not a political party,” said one.
“We have always said the demolition was a well-planned conspiracy of BJP leaders, in fact the entire Sangh Parivar,” Zafaryab Jilani, convener of the All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee, said. “We have said all along [then UP CM] Kalyan Singh played a proactive role in the demolition. We also assert the Narasimha Rao government was equally responsible,” he said.
All-India Shia Personal Law Board spokesman Maulana Yasoob Abbas took the argument further. “Kalyan was leading the charge from the front, while Rao provided background support by not acting in time,” he said. “The (Kalyan) government was dismissed in the evening. Rao would surely have been watching what was happening in Ayodhya on TV. Why couldn’t this have been done in daytime before the mosque fell,” he asked.
In Mumbai, Saeed Noori, general secretary of Raza Academy, said, “Each time they give a lollipop to minorities tosuck on by appointing a commission. Reports are never implemented.”
Noted poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar said, “What has come out is something that was known. It is just that they have put it formally after 17 years. And instead of accepting the report, they are now questioning the leak.”
Asghar Ali Engineer said, “Sangh Parivar and Muslims both behaved in a very non-coherent manner.”
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