By Santosh Kumar Pathak New Delhi, Dec 5, : Gulab Chand Kataria, a senior BJP leader and ex-Rajasthan Home Minister, claimed that the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992 opened the way for construction at Ayodhya of a grand Ram Temple.
In an exclusive interview with IANS the leader, who was near Babri Masjid that day, discussed the current situation in Ayodhya and why people started demolishing the Babri Masjid suddenly when the programme was purely symbolic kar seva.
Here are some excerpts.
Q.Q.
A.I was there near Babri Masjid that day.Prior to that, I was a Rajasthan Lok Sabha MP, and many times as a state MLA.However, I lost the 1991 Lok Sabha elections.On December 6, 1992, I was not an MP or MLA.I was, however, a dedicated party worker who was in Ayodhya to perform symbolic kar seva.
Q.Q.
A.People were unable to express anger because they felt they were being called again and again for kar seva, but nothing is being done on Mandir (temple) front.They couldn’t forget the time that bullets were fired upon Lord Ram devotees during Mulayam Sing Yadav’s tenure.
The kar sevaks recalled the sacrifices of those who infuriated and incited them, and they vented their fury.
Q.Q.
A.I have said to you that people suppress their anger for many years.We thought that symbolic kar seva would be performed.But, we were frenzied. People climbed up to the Masjid and began hitting it with a hammer.
There was a fear that bullets would be fired at the karsevaks, and that people would be hurt.But it was the “bravery”, of the then state Chief Minsiter Kalyan Singh, that he didn’t give shooting orders.This saved precious lives.People who were on top of the Babri Masjid destroyed it.
Q.Q.
A.that day, Ayodhya was in the same situation.
Kar sevaks didn’t like Babri Masjid, and they wanted it to be demolished even if it meant they had to give their lives. They knew that firing police officers could be ordered and that they could lose their lives, but they didn’t care about that and continued doing what they wanted to.
After 4-5 hours, chaos prevailed.Many people were hurt and were rushed to hospitals.
Many people who went missing were found after a long period.
Q.Q.
A: I don’t remember the exact day.If Babri Masjid had not been demolished, there would have been no way to build the Ram Temple.
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