Under attack for joining hands with Kalyan Singh, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday did a U-turn saying he had "never" given the former BJP leader a clean chit in the Babri mosque demolition and that his party had no "alliance" but only "friendship" with him.
While asserting that Kalyan was "morally responsible" for the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition, Yadav justified joining hands with him saying the move would "weaken communal forces like BJP". "I never said that he (Kalyan) is not responsible for Babri mosque demolition. As the chief minister (in 1992) he was morally responsible for demolition of mosque.... He should have saved the mosque," Yadav, who is virtually facing a revolt over the move with Muslim leaders like Azam Khan openly coming out against it, told reporters.
"I have held him (Kalyan) morally responsible for the demolition. I cannot abuse him like others...I talk of morality only...," he said. Yadav had on January 25, just days after Kalyan quit BJP and his son Rajbir joined the SP, defended the former chief minister in the Babri Mosque demolition, claiming that he "did not" do it and that Kalyan could not be called an "extremist now".
"He (Kalyan) did not do that. Mosque was demolished by Shiv Sena and RSS," Yadav said in an interview to a TV channel. Yadav on Monday asserted that Samajwadi Party had "no alliance" with Kalyan and that "it is only friendship and if Kalyan contested election, he will file his nominations as an independent candidate from Etah seat".
"He (Kalyan) did not do that. Mosque was demolished by Shiv Sena and RSS," Yadav said in an interview to a TV channel. Yadav on Monday asserted that Samajwadi Party had "no alliance" with Kalyan and that "it is only friendship and if Kalyan contested election, he will file his nominations as an independent candidate from Etah seat".