NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister and the Janata Dal leader V.P.Singh on Dec.6 squarely blamed the Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao for the “shocking” developments at Ayodhya and demanded that Rao must quit owing total responsibility for his failure to discharge his Constitutional obligations.

“The Prime Minister has failed to protect the Constitution and the rule of law” V.P.Singh told a press conference. He had failed to keep his “solemn promise” given from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15 that the “mosque” would be protected at all costs the Janata Dal leader said.

Singh who returned from Lucknow late on Sunday night got in touch with the leaders of the left parties and other allies to chalk out a strategy lo be adopted in Parliament on Monday. Before his arrival a delegation of the Janata Dal-Left party leaders met the President Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma to convey their feelings to him on the damage to the Ram janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid structure. Another delegation of seven Janata Dal MPs called on the President separately later

The Janata Dal-Left party delegation asked for the resignation of the Prime Minister in their meeting with the President. However Prakash Karat a member of the CPI (M) Politburo said later that his party had not so far taken a decision about demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation even as the CPI(M) accused the Prime Minister of having abdicated his “political responsibility” by having failed to protect the Constitution. The JD-Left party combine 1ssued an appeal to the people to maintain communal harmony and peace under gravest provocation. V.P.Singh said the need of the hour was to ensure protection of the minorities.

The JD-LF leaders thought of an option to bring a no-confidence motion against the Government in the Lok Sabha ruled out that possibility after realizing that the Constitution did not permit a second no-confidence within six months of the one having been moved. It was certain that the Bharatiya Janata Party would move adjournment motions against the Government in Parliament. V.P.Singh said the future course of action would be decided on Monday morning. The charge against the Prime Minister in particular and the Central Govt. was that despite repeated warnings by the non-BJP opposition parties the Center had failed to act. The Prime Minister instead had decided to depend on his personal negotiations V.P.Singh said “He should join the BJP formally” the Janata Dal leader said. The Home Minister had in fact said in Parliament that there was no reason to disbelieve the Uttar Pradesh chief minister when he was asked to spell out the steps taken by the Govt to safeguard the disputed structure.

The leaders who met the President included Ram Vilas Paswan LR.Sujrat Sukram Jena and Han Kishore Singh (Janata Dal) Somnath Chatterjee and Prakash Karat(CPI-M) Indrajit Guptaand Chaturanan Mishra (CPI) Chitta Basu (Forward Block) Tridib Choudhary (RSP).

Article extracted from this publication >> December 18, 1992