Mulayam ‘regrets’ firing on Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya

August 27, 2016 08:22 pm | Updated November 15, 2016 09:15 pm IST - LUCKNOW

NEW DELHI, 23/12/2009: Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav at the national conference on solidarty with Palestinian movement organised by Muslim Political Council of India, in New Delhi on December 23, 2009.Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.

NEW DELHI, 23/12/2009: Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav at the national conference on solidarty with Palestinian movement organised by Muslim Political Council of India, in New Delhi on December 23, 2009.Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday once again raked up the Ayodhya controversy by expressing regret over ordering the firing on Kar Sevaks during his tenure.

He said the action had been necessary to uphold the “Muslim community’s faith” and preserve the “unity of the country”.

This is not the first time Mr. Yadav has expressed regret over the incident — as recently as January he had said he “felt sad” for ordering the firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990.

“I regret giving orders to shoot kar sevaks at Ayodhya. My decision to order firing at kar sevaks was to save Muslim minorities. This decision was needed to keep the faith of Muslims in this country intact,” Mr. Yadav reportedly said at a book launch here.

Sixteen persons died in the incident on that day but Mr. Singh said “even if 30 had died” he would have issued the same order as there was “no other option available then”.

He also recalled the protests and condemnation he faced in the aftermath.

Mr. Yadav evoked the Ayodhya incident a day after he expressed regret over aligning with former U.P. Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, under whose watch the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya by Hindutva activists.

Mr. Yadav had joined hands with the BJP leader in 2009. He admitted it was terrible mistake that cost his party dearly. “It was because of the damage to the party that I withdrew [my support] later,” Mr. Yadav said while addressing party workers on the birthday of senior colleague Bhagwati Singh on Friday.

BJP hits back

BJP state spokesperson Manoj Mishra said Mr. Yadav’s comments amounted to “rubbing salts” on wounds.

He accused Mr. Yadav of resorting to polarisation. “There is a difference between polarisation and maintaining national unity. What message is he trying to give by raking up this old episode? It seems he wants communal division in the 2017 elections,” Dr. Mishra said.

Observers feel Mr. Yadav makes such comments from time to time to balance his equation and appeal among both Hindus and Muslims. The SP relies heavily on the Muslim vote but also wants to correct its image among Hindus as it fears alienation from them would benefit the BJP.

In January, when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) triggered a fresh debate on the Ram Mandir issue, Mr. Yadav had voiced similar sentiments. In June 2013 too he had said the decision to order firing on kar sevaks was “painful” but that he had no other choice.

His comments, in an interview to a television channel, had come soon after Amit Shah, now BJP chief, visited Ayodhya and vowed the temple would be built in the Uttar Pradesh town.

Two months after that, the VHP led a controversial 84-Kosi Parikrama Yatra in Ayodhya, defying prohibitory orders and staging a confrontation with the Akhilesh Yadav government. Opposition parties then accused the SP of a tacit deal with the BJP to polarise voters for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.