The BSP leader at a press conference today gunned for the Rajnath Singh administration in UP exhorting the government to take fresh action on the Babri Masjid demolition case and challenging it to dissolve the state assembly and going for the assembly elections, reports Johny M L

New Delhi, May 5

National vice president of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) Mayawati is all out for exposing the Rajnath Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) taking the issue of the Lucknow High Court order that acquitted the 21 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case yesterday. The acquitted include Union Home Minister L K Advani, Union Human Resource and Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Uma Bharati, apart from the Shiva Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Acharya Giriraj Kishore, Ashok Singhal, and Saddhvi Ritambhara.

Addressing a press conference today in New Delhi, Mayawati demanded that if the court has given the order based on loopholes in the first notification, a fresh notification should be issued by the UP government immediately and bring those who have been accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court. "If the first notification had any loopholes, it is the duty of the government to remove those and issue a fresh notification to conduct the court proceedings smoothly," Mayawati said.

Refusing to comment on the pros and cons of the Lucknow High Court verdict, Mayawati, however made it clear that now the whole responsibility lies on the shoulders of the Rajnath Singh government to bring justice 'to the people of the country'. "Rajnath Singh has stated that he would go according to the verdict of the court. We are also asking for the same. The court has said that the first notification had loopholes in it. If that is the case, the issuance of a fresh notification is implied in it. We demand the government to do that," Mayawati urged.

The BSP leader at her press conference was a charged one and abundantly used jargon - may be inspired by the tehelka expose. The words 'corruption' and 'expose' occurred several times in her address to the press. Calling the attention of the press and also of the Rajnath Singh government, she said that if the UP chief minister did not oblige to the BSP's demand, her party would be forced to expose the corrupt nature of the state government. "If the UP government does not concede our demands, we will expose the state government of its corruption and misuse of power," thundered Mayawati.

It was obvious that the BSP leader did not have much to offer as an alternative to the court verdict that exempted those BJP leaders who exhorted karsevaks all over India to go to Ayodhya and demolish the Babri Masjid on December 6. Mayawati pointed out that all the acquitted leaders in the Babri demolition case were physically present at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, the fateful day on which the Babri mosque was demolished by the frenzied karsevaks.

Union home minister, L K Advani was another butt of Mayawati's logical ridiculing. Reminding the press of Advani's deposition before the Liberhan Commission last month, Mayawati said that Advani had been putting himself into trouble by saying before the commission that there was no mosque in the disputed place. "If there was no mosque and only a temple there why did they go ahead and demolished the structure?" asked Mayawati.

However, Mayawati expressed apprehension that the state government might not issue a fresh notification on the case. She affirmed that if that were the case then her party would take the issue up in the state assembly and would also write letters to high seats of power and justice including that of the President of India.

Mentioning that all opposition parties in the UP state assembly have unanimously agreed to the dissolution of the assembly in October 2001 itself, Mayawati directly challenged Rajnath Singh to dissolve the state government and going for the assembly elections, which is to be held otherwise in March 2002. "Rajnath Singh had promised even to do that if the opposition parties in the state assembly agree to it unanimously," said Mayawati. "Now Rajnath Singh should show his courage and keep his words," Mayawati challenged.

Denying reports that Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh has held talks with BSP leader Kanshi Ram for a possible alliance with the BJP, Mayawati said that all such reports were fictitious. "Ajit Singh must be switching sides. But he has not talked with any of the BSP leaders. Ajit Singh must be doing it for increasing his value before the BJP leaders. The BSP does not have anything to do with Ajit Singh," asserted Mayawati