Parliament disrupted over Ayodhya reportPublished on Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 15:34 | Source : Reuters Updated at Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 16:09
Angry lawmakers twice forced the adjournment of parliament and opposition leaders shouted "shame, shame" in the house, blaming the government for leaking the report. Mobs of Hindu militants tore down a 16-century mosque in the north Indian town of Ayodhya in 1992, claiming it stood on the birthplace of their god-king Rama. It led to clashes between Hindus and Muslims that left hundreds dead across the country. The Indian Express newspaper on Monday published what is said were excerpts of the commission's report, which said leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had played a part in planning the destruction of the mosque. Among those mentioned in the report were former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and current leader of opposition, Lal Krishna Advani. The government would not confirm the report, but if true, the conclusions would be another blow to the main opposition BJP, which has been plagued by squabbling after defeats in federal and state elections. It would also takes pressure off the ruling Congress government, which has so far faced a concerted opposition in a parliament session that began last week and was supposed to debate issues such as rising food prices and policy moves on deregulating commodity prices. The adjournments have further delayed government plans to debate reforms like increasing foreign investment in the insurance and pension sectors. The Ayodhya mosque incident was blamed for further driving a wedge between the two communities and for the increasing radicalization of Muslims, who make up around 13 percent of the population. The report was submitted to the government in July. The government has said it would table the report in parliament in the current session. "I refrain to comment...on the contents," Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told parliament over shouts from opposition lawmakers. He said the newspaper report was "unfortunate". Both Advani and Vajpayee have said the demolition was a spontaneous act and have denied they orchestrated the mobs. "If what is written is correct, the conclusions are false and ridiculous. There was no conspiracy, no planning. I myself have told the commission it was the saddest day of my life," Advani told parliament, holding up a copy of the newspaper.
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