Ahead of the cabinet meeting, the Congress, for the first time, demanded an “immediate ban’’on the Bajrang Dal and, in its new-found aggression, even called on the Liberhan Commission to complete and present at the earliest the Babri Masjid demolition report.
“Vijayadashami, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, is a good day to finish the Ravana-like Bajrang Dal. We demand a ban on the organization,’’ said spokesman Manish Tiwari.
His statement reflects the rising pressure the ruling party is feeling from its United Progressive Alliance constituents for acting against the outfit responsible for attacks on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka.
With its call for ban, the Congress hopes to reach out to the minority community. But at the same time, to contain any possible Hindu backlash, it maintained that “SIMI and the Bajrang Dal are two sides of the same coin”. Tiwari also discounted suggestions that the ban may boomerang and help the outfit. “It didn’t help them in the elections after the Babri Masjid’s demolition," he claimed.