BJP, not Congress stalling verdict of Babri mosque title case: Digvijay Singh

NEW DELHI - Senior Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Monday rejected the charge of the BJP, the RSS and the VHP that his party was deliberately stalling the hearing of the verdict of the Babri Masjid title case.

Singh countered the charge by saying that lawyer Mukul Rohtagi, who had convinced a bench of the Supreme Court last Friday (September 24) to postpone the verdict in the case, was also representing Gujarat Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Narendra Modi, and therefore, the onus for delaying the verdict lay with the BJP and other right-wing outfits, rather than with the Congress.

“We (the Congress) want the law to take its own course, and the judgment should come. Mukul Rohtagi is Narender Modi’s lawyer, then how come the Congress is stalling the Ayodhya judgment,” Singh said.

Last week, Singh said that the BJP and other right-wing outfits were secretly “making preparations” to create trouble.

He described the BJP, RSS and VHP combine as “unreliable” and outfits that “could not be trusted”.

“We cannot trust BJP, RSS or VHP. This is what they had said in 1992. Kalyan Singh Government had even given an affidavit in the Supreme Court. Our biggest mistake has been that we believed that affidavit,” Singh said.

He added: “I feel that they are secretly making preparations… They are an unreliable lot. They can do anything.”

Singh has said that the people should not succumb to any propaganda by the RSS or the VHP.

“People of this country are secular. They will not be misguided by politicisation of the BJP, RSS or VHP. People have been fooled once. They won’t let it happen a second time.”

Last Wednesday, the president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Surya Pratap Shahi accused Singh of making irresponsible comments ahead of the Ayodhya verdict to garner support from the minority community.

“Such comments are really disgraceful and can vitiate the peaceful atmosphere ahead of the verdict… It’s the duty of political leaders to ensure peace and harmony during this phase.

So, the Congress general secretary (Digvijay Singh) should also restrain from making such comments,” he said. (ANI)