Narasimha Rao performed puja during demolition of Babri Masjid: Book

July 5, 2012

Narasimha

New Delhi, July 5: Yet another book has levelled an allegation that P V Narasimha Rao had connived at the demolition of Babri Masjid, claiming that the late Prime Minister had sat in a puja when the kar sevaks began pulling it down and rose only when it was over.

The charge relating to the demolition on Dec 6, 1992 has been made by eminent journalist Kuldip Nayar in his soon-to-be released autobiography "Beyond the Lines" being brought out by Roli Books.

"My information was that Rao had connived at the demolition. He sat at puja when the kar sevaks began pulling down the mosque and rose only when the last stone had been removed"

"Madhu Limaye (late socialist leader) later told me that during the puja, Rao's aide whispered in his ears that the masjid had been demolished. Within seconds, the puja was over", he said in a chapter on "Narasimha Rao's Government" in the book.

P V Ranga Rao, son of the late Prime Minister, however strongly dismissed the claim as "unbelievable and untenable".

"It is unbelievable and untenable...There is no way father would have done so. He was in anguish when the Babri structure was demolished, for he loved Muslims for years and was their ardent supporter. He told us many times that it should not have happened", Rao said reacting to the reported claim of the late socialist leader Madhu Limaye.

Regretting that an eminent journalist like Nayar could write such things, Ranga Rao said "vested interests" were trying to spew venom at his father, who is no more to defend himself.

Nayar said that when there were riots in the wake of the demolition, Rao invited some senior journalists to his house.

"He was at pains to explain to us how his government had made every arrangement to stop the demolition. Rao said he was betrayed by the UP chief minister Kalyan Singh".

When asked how a small temple could have been erected overnight at the site when the Centre was at the helm of affairs having dismissed the Kalyan Singh government, Rao said he had attempted to send a contingent of CRPF by plane to Lucknow but they were unable to land because of bad weather.

Besides, Nayar said Rao did not explain the "inaction" of Central forces in Ayodhya, but assured him that the temple would not be there "for long".

"Rao's government will always be held responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The curious thing was that he was conscious of such an eventuality but did virtually nothing to avert it", Nayar said.

Once earlier Rao invited senior journalists to acquaint them with the efforts his government was making to reach a settlement. When Nayar asked him which stage they had reached, Rao replied "somewhere," but "there was no serious edge to his voice".

Nayar recalled that soon after, he witnessed the gathering of the storm with thousands of kar sevaks descending upon Ayodhya and the RSS and the BJP leaders converging on the city.

Kalyan Singh, who was heading the BJP government in U P, made statements which indicated that he had no intention of protecting the Masjid, although the Supreme Court had ordered maintenance of status quo and his government had given an undertaking that it would do so.

The climax came when the Masjid was demolished to the last stone on that fateful day by thousands of kar sevaks egged on by the BJP and RSS leadership. "It was daylight murder of secularism," Nayar writes.

He also says that the Congress cauldron was boiling not because of the Masjid demolition, but because of internal conflicts. Sonia Gandhi never liked Narasimha Rao, particularly when he assumed leadership of both the Congress party and its government, Nayar says.

She did not want to join issue with him, preferring to remain aloof from party matters. Even so, the infighting with the Congress and its shrinking space in the country bothered her.

Many Congress leaders from the Centre and the states met her individually to appeal to her to lead the party. To them, she seemed the only person who represented the consensus in the party.

Her gravest concern was that communal forces representing the BJP were claiming the political space. "The only occasion I spoke to her, she came across as a committed secularist, who firmly believed that pluralism was the bedrock of Indian society".

Nayar says he could gauge that she was coming around to the view that she would have to join politics if she wanted to fight against communalism and that the only instrument she had for this was the Congress.


Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
February 20,2025

DELHICM_0.jpg

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister-designate Rekha Gupta on Thursday assured that the BJP government would fulfill its poll promise of providing Rs 2,500 monthly financial assistance to women. The first installment of the monthly support will be credited to their accounts by March 8, Gupta said.

Ahead of the polls, the BJP's manifesto aimed to outdo the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) announcement of Rs 2,100 monthly support if it came to power. Gupta, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Wednesday, emphasized that delivering on their promises is her top priority.

"Fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the responsibility of all 48 BJP MLAs in the capital. We will definitely fulfill all our promises, including financial support for women. Women will 100% get monetary support in their accounts by March 8," she said. March 8 is observed as International Women's Day.

The BJP secured a landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, winning 48 out of 70 seats and ending the AAP's decade-long rule. Gupta, a former Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president and municipal councilor, will be sworn in as the fourth woman CM of Delhi at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan later in the afternoon, in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
February 18,2025

qatarPM.jpg

New Delhi: In a significant diplomatic milestone, India and Qatar formally exchanged an agreement to establish a strategic partnership, reinforcing their growing bilateral ties. The exchange took place on Tuesday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

The Amir of Qatar arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening for a two-day state visit, aimed at deepening cooperation across various sectors. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the visit as a step forward in strengthening the “growing multifaceted partnership” between the two nations.

During their meeting at Hyderabad House, Prime Minister Modi and the Amir of Qatar engaged in discussions covering a wide range of bilateral issues. The landmark agreement was exchanged between Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar.

Adding to the economic dimension of their collaboration, a revised agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion concerning income taxes was also exchanged. This agreement was signed between Qatar’s Prime Minister and India’s Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, further strengthening economic cooperation.

The visit and agreements mark a new chapter in India-Qatar relations, paving the way for deeper economic, political, and strategic engagement in the years ahead.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
February 20,2025

NewCM.jpg

First-time MLA Rekha Guptatook took oath as Delhi’s ninth Chief Minister on Thursday (February 20, 2025) at an event in the iconic Ramlila Maidan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda, and Chief Ministers and Deputy CMs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled States.

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi V K Saxena administered the oath of office and secrecy.

BJP's Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Kumar Singh also take oath as ministers in CM Rekha Gupta-led Delhi Government.

Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh was chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly at the BJP legislature party meeting on Wednesday. The party has returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years, ending the 10-year rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.

Born in Haryana's Julana, Gupta is a BCom graduate from Delhi University's Daulat Ram College. She later earned a law degree from Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, and also practised as an advocate.

Gupta, who has had a 32-year association with the RSS, began her political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Delhi University's Daulat Ram College in 1992. In 1995-96, she was the secretary of the Delhi University Students' Union and was its president in 1996-97.

In 2002, she joined the BJP and has been the national secretary of the party's youth wing. Gupta has also served as the BJP's women wing in charge in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

She is also the national vice-president of BJP Mahila Morcha.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.