We are committed to Ram temple: BJP on Babri anniversary

NEW DELHI - On the 17th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday reiterated that building a temple to Lord Ram at the mosque site was a “commitment” and the party would seek a resolution to the issue through negotiation or judicial verdict.

“The Ram temple remains a commitment for us. The BJP will prefer a solution through mutual negotiation or a judicial verdict,” party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told IANS.

The BJP also trashed the findings of the Liberhan Commission report which probed the Dec 6, 1992, razing.

“The report in itself is redundant, lopsided and a political document,” Prasad added.

The BJP’s comments came as different groups in the capital organised protest marches while one group held a celebratory march to mark the anniversary.

Staging a protest at the Jantar Mantar near the central business hub of Delhi, members of the All India Babri Masjid Rebuilding Committee (AIBMRC) demanded that the mosque be rebuilt on the disputed site of Ayodhya.

They also submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil to put behind bars those named by the Liberhan Commission report.

Meanwhile, members of the little-known Rashtrawadi Sena marked the day as “Vijay Divas” (victory day) by holding a march in east Delhi.

Bharat Lal Sharma, secretary of the group said: “Our party chief Jai Bhagwan Goyal said this was a historic day which should be celebrated with pomp and show.”

Goyal was one of the 68 people mentioned in the report of the Liberhan Commission, as culpable for “leading the country to the brink of communal discord”.

The report, which was tabled in parliament Nov 24, has indicted members of the Sangh Parivar for demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya.

Sahmat, a group of artists held a discussion with journalists and photographers who were witness to the demolition along with historians to give their perspective. A photo exhibition ‘Hum Sab Ayodhya’ was also organised.