No bias in Liberhan report in clean chit to Rao government: Congress

The Congress refuted accusations of bias in the Liberhan Commission report in not blaming the party-led government headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao for the Dec 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque.

The Congress on Thursday refuted accusations of bias in the Liberhan Commission report in not blaming the party-led government headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao for the Dec 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque.

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“The Liberhan Commission did not say that the Rao government was directly or indirectly responsible for the demolition,” Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said here.

Answering questions on the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) statement that the Commission has laid itself open to the charge of political bias by giving a virtual clean chit to the Rao government, Ahmed said he did not agree with the contention.

“I don't agree with the CPI-M accusation of bias in the report,” he said.

To a question about former Congress president Sitaram Kesri apologising for the mosque demolition and the party denying a ticket to Rao in 1998 to contest the Lok Sabha elections, Ahmed admitted that there was "a perception about the lack of proper action" on the part of then central government.

He said Congress presidents had offered public apology on the demolition and Rao may have been denied a ticket “to keep public anger (against the party) in control".