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The truth about December 6, 1992

This is the truth about December 6, 1992, that has never been told before. While there have been various accounts and reams written on what happened at Ayodhya, this book is really the first published account of the "man who knew it best" -- P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Prime Minister at the time when the demolition of the Babri Masjid took place, in accordance with the author's wishes the book titled "Ayodhya 6 December 1992" is being published posthumously by Penguin Books India.

This work, which brings to light the politics at the highest level surrounding Ayodhya, was written after Mr. Rao stepped down as Prime Minister. However, he decided against publishing it during his lifetime.

"The purpose of this factual account is to unravel the truth about Ramjanmabhoomi-Babir Masjid, which has determined the politics of a major part of Northern India since 1980s, although the matter itself is much older. It is essentially a religious matter that has been blatantly exploited for political, more precisely electoral, purposes," said Mr. Rao, according to a release issued by Penguin Books.

The book, which is likely to bring to light new facts about an event that continues to haunt India more than a decade later, will help understand the situation a little better. Answering questions like why were the para-military forces not deployed to protect the Masjid when it was under imminent threat, the book will be published in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Telugu and Malayalam.

"This true account may perhaps be too late in the day to be of any political value -- the purpose of the disinformation having been achieved already in some elections. Yet if it is possible to re-separate religious and electoral politics even after two or three mishaps, it will be of great service to the secular polity of India and an eye-opener to the people," observed Mr. Rao, according to Penguin Books. -- Mandira Nayar

-- Mandira Nayar

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