The Hindu : Front Page : Summon two journalists, Lalu urges Liberhan panel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Front Page

Summon two journalists, Lalu urges Liberhan panel

By P. Sunderarajan

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 12. The RJD president and Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad, today urged the Liberhan Commission, probing the Babri Masjid demolition, to summon two journalists who had "exposed" the role of the former Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, and others in the case.

He told reporters that the two journalists — Anita Pratap and Jefferson K who were associated with the New York-based Time magazine — had, disguised as kar sevaks, witnessed the role of Mr. Advani, Ms. Bharti and others in the demolition and got it published in the issue of the magazine dated December 21, 1992.

It was the responsibility of the Commission to ask them to depose before it.

Displaying a copy of the magazine, Mr. Lalu Prasad said that since the Commission's tenure had been extended by another three months, Mr. Advani, Ms. Bharti, and others should be summoned afresh so that the truth would come out.

He reiterated the allegation he had made a week ago in Patna that Mr. Advani was an "absconder" in the case relating to a plot to kill Mohammed Ali Jinnah and said the former Home Minister should "come clean" on that case also.

There were six accused, including Mr. Advani, in the case, the trial for which was held in Lahore, he charged.

All of them became absconders. Mr. Advani should clarify the position.

`BJP sidetracking issues'

Accusing the BJP and the Sangh Parivar of sidetracking real issues, he said that while Mahatma Gandhi was known to accept responsibility whenever he broke the Imperialists' law, the saffron leaders did not have the courage to do so and were afraid of prosecution.

Asked about the Left parties' criticism over the inclusion of representatives of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank in the Planning Commission's decision-making process, Mr. Lalu Prasad said the best talents within and outside the country should be used for the country's development.

On the claim of the Deputy Station Superintendent of Patna Railway Station that he had lodged a complaint against BJP MPs, Sushil Kumar Modi and Lalmuni Chaube, under duress, Mr. Lalu Prasad said it made no difference as the fact remained that their associates had travelled in the train misusing their identity cards. He refuted the charge that the case was politically motivated.

Cheap allegation: BJP

PTI reports:

Reacting to Mr. Lalu Prasad's charge that Mr. Advani was an "absconder" in the Jinnah case, the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, told reporters that "it is not worth responding to such cheap and dirty allegations."

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