Parliament to continue Liberhan report discussion - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The discussion of the Liberhan Commission's Report on the Babri Mosque demolition and the Action Taken Report (ATR) is expected to continue in Parliament for the second day today. On Monday, the debate on the report was all fire and brimstone with the government and the opposition trading charges against each other. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Sangh Parivar came under severe criticism in the Lok Sabha on Monday for their role in the Babri Masjid demolition at Ayodhya in 1992. Other major political parties lashed out at both the Congress and the BJP holding them responsible for the incident that took place in 1992 in Ayodhya, where the Babri Masjid was demolished. Senior Communist leader Gurudas Dasgupta on Monday said the Babri Mosque demolition was meticulously planned and opined that it could not have been prevented. Accusing the BJP of "forcing its fundamentalist will on the people when even a majority were opposed to their ideology," Dasgupta said: "Why did the political system fail and what are the inherent weaknesses that led the nation to shame?" Criticising the Liberhan report for not being comprehensive, he said it did not mention the Center's role. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh said the Liberhan report was incomplete as a number of important facts were concealed. He alleged that the BJP and the Congress were "hand in glove" at the time of the demolition. Defending his party, BJP president Rajnath Singh described the report as "totally baseless, prejudiced and a deliberate attempt at character assassination of some persons." "Building a Ram temple is not just religious justice, but also national justice. The BJP reaffirms its commitment to build a Ram temple at the same site. When the BJP, which was part of the NDA, was in power, it could not deliver on its promise despite trying its best," he said. Amidst repeated disruptions, Singh said pulling down the mosque was no pre-planned conspiracy but a spontaneous action resulting from public anger. He claimed that the report was a "bundle of grave errors" and a mere political statement to suit a party. In her opening remarks, Speaker Meira Kumar appealed to the members to be cautious and discuss the issue constructively since Ayodhya was a politically and emotionally sensitive topic. She said the debate should take place "without hurting the sentiments" of anyone in the Lok Sabha. Both the government and the opposition are determined to prove their points in the debate being held in the Lok Sabha. Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar has said the discussion would be held under Rule 193, which does not entail voting. Justice M S Liberhan has named 68 people as responsible for the demolition including Advani and former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee.