Author: A Sohail Siddiqui, Chief
Editor, Hamara Qadam
Publication: BJP Today
Date: April 16-30, 2001
The Muslim leadership at the time
of Shah Bano controversy was basking in the glorious victory it scored
in getting the Supreme Court verdict nullified by the Parliament. Politically,
it was a major victory for Muslim clerics. This all led to an atmosphere
where the majority community in this country felt defeated. It was then
that Shri Rajiv Gandhi entered into a secret pact with the world renowned
personality Maulana Ali Miyan Naqvi. The deal with Maulana was to hand
over Ram Janmabhoomi to the Hindus in order to pacify their hurt feelings.
Thus within a week of decision of passing of Muslim Personal Law Bill thrown
by Rajiv and company, the gates of Ram Mandir were thrown open.
For my popular newspaper, Urdu weekly
“Hamara Qadam” I interviewed the former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan
in July, 1992 in which Mr Khan disclosed the said secret pact and alleged
that the doors of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya were thrown open with the consent
of Maulana Ali Miyan. However the Rajiv card failed miserably. In came
Chandrashekhar with Rajiv’s support. He should be credited to be the one
two revived the talks between Muslim leadership and V.H.P. saints.
Now from here begins the second
phase of Muslim leaders involvement in the conspirary to demolish Babri
Masjid with Shri P V Narsimha Rao at the helm of affairs. The writer has
sufficient evidence of the support of several Muslim leaders to the plan
to demolish the Babri Masjid and put the blame on the BJP. Thus kill two
birds with one stone- paint BJP as the villain, secondly to do away with
the Babri genie which had by then overgrown its size.
This writer sometime in August 1992
got the wind of such a plan being hatched by Congressmen. A senior journalist
(now a MP) and a friend of this writer told him that in order to defeat
the BJP at their game the Congress intends to send 100 odd people as kar
sevaks dressed in nickers to demolish the Babri Masjid. In August 1992
I carried a screaming banner story in my tabloid “Hamara Qadam” – that
Javed Habib and Naib Shahi Imam have bartered the Muslim interests to Narasimha
Rao. No one contradicted the story. I had three weeks before 6th December,
1992 reported (in Hamara Qadam) a cover story with a screaming banner “Babri
Masjid Nahi Bachegi”. A.N.I. released the news carried by Observer of Business
& Politics’. One week before the demolition a video camera person approached
me with an offer that for five lakhs he could supply me the second copy
of the video film which he has been asked to prepare by the Home Ministry
on 6th December, 1992 of the event of demolition.
