The Hindu : I was betrayed: Kalyan Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003

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I was betrayed: Kalyan Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW JUNE 20. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Rashtriya Kranti Party leader, Kalyan Singh, today alleged that he had been betrayed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS leaders over the Babri Masjid demolition and was prepared to testify against them.

These leaders of the Sangh Parivar, including the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and the Union Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, had kept him in the dark about their plans to demolish the mosque, he said. They had assured him that ``kar seva'' at Ayodhya would be quite peaceful and symbolic but ultimately it ended with the destruction of the Babri Masjid.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr. Singh said he was given assurances in writing by Swami Chinmayanand and the late Rajmata Scindia that the `kar seva' would be peaceful and it was on the basis of their letter that he had given his affidavit to the Supreme Court. Even the observer sent by the Court to look at the goings-on near the disputed site, Tej Shankar, had sent a report at 11-30 a.m. on the fateful day saying that the situation was absolutely normal. An hour later, however, the mob went berserk and the mosque came crumbling down. That was enough to gauge the mystery behind the Sangh Parivar's plans to demolish the mosque, he said. Mr. Singh also came out in defence of the then Central Government led by P.V. Narsimha Rao, saying that the Central forces sent to Ayodhya were unable to move forward as the `kar sevaks' had erected blockades in their way. To say that the Central forces were not properly deployed was incorrect. Only the human wall created by the `kar sevaks' had prevented the forces from acting.

Security arrangements had been properly placed at the State level too but the police forces had been asked not to fire. ``All arrangements went haywire when the mob started moving menacingly towards the disputed structure,'' he said.

He had owned moral responsibility for the demolition and had served a one-day prison term as he had no other way out. As Chief Minister of the State he had been forced to own up for what had happened but had expressed his displeasure to the BJP and RSS leaders who had betrayed him, Mr. Singh said. ``I had protested vehemently against the betrayal of the BJP and VHP leaders.''

Mr. Singh said it was ridiculous to say that the State Government was not making available the relevant records to the Centre as the BJP was a part of the present coalition ruling U.P. The Central Government's claim only showed that it had to hide something, he added.

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