BAREILLY: in a clear departure from the past party stand, senior Congress Leaders have expressed their readiness to apologize to the Muslim community for failure to protect the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya.

The party had so far maintained that the then ruling BJP in UP was responsible for the demolition and no apology was called from the ruling Congress in the Center for the former’s failure to Keep their commitment.

“We have no hesitation in asking for no apology,” said a battery of leaders. Repeatedly referring to the demolition and the electoral verdicts given by the community against the party, they admitted that mistakes had been committed by the party in the past “but the Community should not punish the party again and again because it has truly secular credentials.

 ‘The leaders said that the Center, after the demolition, had taken several steps to counter the forces of communalism, which they said had “betrayed” their assurances {of the judiciary and to the people to protect the monument. _

“The government is like parent to Poon if any mistake was made by there should not be any made by the parent, there should not be any  hesitation  in apologizing for it,” Mr. Azad said, while addressing the meet organized by the Bareilly District Congress Committee, on the occasion of ‘131th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai.

‘Urging the Muslim community to think rationally before voting in the next elections, he said that a failure to do so would bring them fact to face communal forces.

As an instance, Mr. Azad cited the example of Maharashtra where, he said; the Sn Krishna commission as well as the Urdu and Haj committees was ‘wound up.

He asked the Muslim community not to decide their fate on the lines of religion, masjid and castes but on the role played by the leaders and parties.

He urged the UPCC to launch an agitation against the Maharashtra Government for its “sectarian” decision against the minority community.

 Recalling 1947, Mr, Azad said that after the partition, Pakistan became an Islamic state while India under the leadership of Congress party adopted secularism which has given security, prosperity and vision to all communities in the country.

The All general secretary, Mr.B.P, Maurya, Said bar his party had taken the extreme step of dismissing four elected BJP state governments for their betrayal and had taken several steps to contain communal forces.

 “It was the Congress party which gave a Constitution which guaranteed equal Tights to everybody, he said.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 31, 1996