The Hindu : Row over CBI tapes on Ayodhya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 01, 2003

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Row over CBI tapes on Ayodhya

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JULY 31. The Central Bureau of Investigation's non-inclusion of speeches by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and others in the evidence submitted to the Rae Bareilly trial court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case dominated both the Houses of Parliament with the Opposition stalling proceedings.

The Opposition in the Lok Sabha allowed question hour to pass unimpeded but thereafter, clashed repeatedly with the treasury benches forcing its adjournment for the day. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice but the Opposition allowed the House to function after it was assured of a discussion next week.

In the Lok Sabha, the issue came up soon after question hour through an adjournment motion moved by Priya Ranjan Dasmunhsi (Congress) who alleged that the CBI was forced to present a "doctored'' tape cutting out the speeches of Mr. Advani and the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi.

His remarks provoked the treasury benches who urged the Speaker not to accept the adjournment motion. Congress MPs stormed into the well of the House and were joined by MPs from Left parties, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Samajwadi Party and the Lok Janshakti.

Led by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), they demanded the resignation of Mr. Advani and the BJP countered them by raising slogans against the Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi. Unable to persuade the members to calm down, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi, adjourned the House for lunch. Similar scenes were enacted when the House met again forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for the day.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice on the same issue without transacting any business in the pre-lunch session. Repeated entreaties by the Chairman, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, had little effect on the Opposition which was unrelenting in its demand for a discussion on "the CBI placing before the court video and audio tapes that did not contain speeches of Mr. Advani, Mr. Joshi and others''. Normal business began after the Deputy Chairperson, Najma Heptulla, assured that a solution would be worked out. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Leader of the House, Jaswant Singh, were present in the House.

Outside Parliament, the Congress chief spokesperson, S. Jaipal Reddy, alleged that the case against Mr. Advani and others was being "deliberately sabotaged as a part of a planned conspiracy''. Briefing presspersons, he said that Mr. Advani and others were "misutilising CBI unscrupulously to get out of the case''. The party contended that as per its information, the CBI was in possession of cassettes that contained speeches by these leaders. "All proceedings on December 6, 1992 (at Ayodhya) were recorded and videographed. Where have they vanished?'' Mr. Reddy wanted to know.

The Nationalist Congress Party demanded the resignation of Mr. Advani, Mr. Joshi and others.

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