VHP chief justifies demolition

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, AUG. 2. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad president, Mr. Vishnu Hari Dalmia, today justified the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992 and said it was done to pave way for the construction of Ram temple. In a statement before the Justice Liberhan Commission, Mr. Dalmia said the kar sevaks pulled down the structure even though it was a functioning temple, to pave way for the construction of a temple of Lord Ram, and, as a stop- gap arrangement, erected a small make-shift temple, where the existing idols could be installed.

He described as a myth the disputed structure being referred to as a mosque. He said this had been falsely propagated by the pseudo-secularists as part of their vote-bank politics.

Going into the history of the structure, Mr. Dalmia said it was only a victory monument constructed by a foreign invader after destroying the existing Hindu temple at the same place to humiliate the Hindus. He said even in the extracts from Babur- nama, Babur had not described the structure built by him as a mosque. While so how could anyone give a different interpretation to it, he asked.

When it was pointed out that Muslims had offered namaz at the disputed structure, he said that by itself did not convert the place into a mosque.

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