Ayodhya issue rocks Parliament

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 5. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day soon after question hour as the Opposition, led by the Congress, pursued its demand for the resignation of the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, and two other Ministers charged in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

The Opposition stepped up the heat today and unlike on Monday when it was mainly a Congress affair, today the entire Opposition joined hands to force the adjournment. On Monday, the issued was raised in the Lok sabha as the Upper House was adjourned following the death of a sitting member. But, on Tuesday, the demand was taken up even in the Upper House. In fact, there was more uproar in the Rajya Sabha as the treasury benches, led by Mr. S.S. Ahluwalia, tried to counter the Opposition. While in the Lok Sabha, the treasury benches sat back and watched the Opposition vent its spleen.

In the Rajya Sabha, the issue was taken up by Mr. Suresh Pachouri (Congress) who demanded the resignation of the three chargesheeted ministers. Soon after question hour, the Congress members were on their feet raising slogans and displaying a photograph of a BJP Minister at the demolition site on that fateful December 6.

The Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes but the Congress and the Samajwadi party indulged in a game of oneupmanship in their bid to take the credit for raising the issue.

Caught unawares by the Congress on Monday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) today sought to upstage it by raising the issue even before question hour was over, but its members were soon outnumbered and outshouted by the Congress members who moved into the well of the House.

With an eye on the minority votes, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, the SP members sought to equate the Congress with the BJP blaming it for being equally responsible for the demolition. ``The demolition took place as a result of the joint conspiracy of the BJP and the Congress,'' said the SP member, Mr. Akhilesh Singh. But his exertions were drowned in the Congress sloganeering. Unable to get the members resume their seats and sensing the belligerent mood, the Speaker, Mr. Balayogi, adjourned the House for the day.

The Congress today made it clear that it would persist with the issue tomorrow as well. Briefing newsmen, the CWC member, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, said his party would continue to agitate till the Ministers resigned and a full-fledged discussion took place in both the Houses.

He referred to the Lucknow court's observation that the conspiracy to demolish the mosque was hatched at the time of Mr. Advani's Somnath `yatra'. It proved that Mr. Advani was the ``principal conspirator''. How can he continue as the Home Minister, he asked. Mr. Azad also held Mr. Advani responsible for the riots that followed the demolition. ``Because of the conspiracy that he hatched the whole nation had to pay a huge price,'' Mr. Azad said.

Tight security in U.P.

AYODHYA, DEC. 5. Security has been tightened with the deployment of additional forces throughout Uttar Pradesh on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition.

Police, PAC and the Rapid Action Force have been deployed in strength at all sensitive points in the twin cities of Ayodhya and Faizabad in the wake of Hindu and Muslim organisations deciding to observe the day as ``victory day'' and ``black day'' respectively tomorrow.

Security has also been beefed up in and around the sensitive Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Shri Krishna Janmasthan at Mathura, official sources said.

- PTI

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