Country profile: India Sep 3, 2009
And in 1992, widespread Hindu-Muslim violence erupted after Hindu extremists demolished the Babri mosque at Ayodhya. Independent India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, dreamed of a socialist society and created a vast public infrastructure, much of which became a burden on the state. (BBC News -- South Asia)
MJ Akbar: Does justice matter? Jul 5, 2009
The first inquiry into the demolition of the Babri mosque on December 6, 1992 was completed within seven days. On the morning of Sunday, December 13, Sharad Pawar, then defence minister, invited a group of friends and colleagues to the home of an associate MP. He watched a film - live footage of the whole episode, taken by some government agency, possibly intelligence. (India Times, India)
Manmohan hits the ground running Jul 3, 2009
The Liberhan Commission - set up to investigate the infamous 1992 demolition of the medieval Babri mosque by Hindu fundamentalists in the Uttar Pradesh town of Ayodhya, believed to be the birthplace of the revered mythic hero Rama - submitted its report to the prime minister on Tuesday. The report itself was in danger of becoming a myth. (Asia Times Online)
Making sense of Congress victory May 30, 2009
The minority communities also developed the feeling that the Congress party, which could not prevent the demolition of Babri mosque, had ceased to be a secular saviour of the minorities and so they shifted their electoral support to secular regional leaders like Mulayam Singh and Lalu Prasad. It was not without reason that Congress got only 141 Lok Sabha seats in 1998 with 25. (India Times)
File: In Pilibhit, Mayawati trains guns at Varun and Maneka May 12, 2009
Mayawati asked Muslims to vote for her and not SP which she accused had a tacit understanding with BJP. ``SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is roaming with Babri Mosque demolition accused Kalyan Singh and has not fielded any candidate against BJP president Rajnath Singh,'' she said and added ``on the other hand SP has put up a Muslim candidate in Pilibhit to split Muslim vote. Text. (India Times, India)
Azam not quitting SP, refuses to campaign alongside Kalyan May 5, 2009
Khan said his party should stop banking on Kalyan Singh, whom he accused of being the "destroyer of the Babri mosque". Refuting speculation about his planning to quit the party, Khan said he was not able to cut off his emotional bonding with Mulayam, nor was he able to forget the tough stand adopted by him on October 30, 1990 in the face of challenge posed by the 'karsewaks' in Ayodhya. (India Times, India -- Community News)
At loggerheads Apr 18, 2009
So Mr Advani - who is desperately trying to broaden his mass base by projecting a moderate, even Muslim-friendly face - was taken to task by the prime minister for shedding crocodile tears when the 16th Century Babri mosque was demolished by a mob of Hindu zealots in 1992 ... But what hurt Mr Advani the most was when the prime minister said: "What has been the contribution of Mr Advani to India except bringing down the Babri mosque?". (BBC News -- South Asia)
I would have crushed Varun under a roller: Lalu Apr 7, 2009
Attacking Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the RJD chief alleged, "Nitish is sitting in the lap of L K Advani, who was directly involved in pulling down the Babri mosque, but his dream will never come true.". LJP President and Union minister Ramvilas Paswan, who was also present, charged Kumar with 'misleading' the minorities by claiming to be secular "while playing into hands of the BJP". (India Times, India)
Defiant leader Apr 4, 2009
"There is not even one success which I can credit to this government. I can't think of any other government in my 60 years of public life which can't boast of even one achievement. The destruction of the Babri mosque has dogged Mr Advani "All that this government has done is run to the USA each time India is in trouble ... He shot to prominence by launching and leading a controversial campaign for the construction of a Lord Ram temple in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya which resulted in the... (BBC News -- South Asia)
BJP sets out India poll manifesto Apr 4, 2009
In 1992, Hindu hardliners demolished the Babri mosque saying it was built on a temple. The demolition of the mosque sparked Hindu-Muslim riots in which more than 2,000 people were killed across India. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Sanjay Dutt barred from election Apr 1, 2009
The violence followed the destruction by Hindu zealots of the Babri mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya. The Mumbai blasts were allegedly carried out by the city's Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for the riots, in which most of those killed were Muslims. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Narendra Modi as Man Muslims Love to Hate Wins Billionaire Voters in India Mar 30, 2009
Hindus believe the site was the birthplace of the Hindu god Ram and that a temple once stood there until Muslim invaders destroyed it in the 16th century and built the Babri Mosque. Advanis journey was cut short when authorities arrested him in the state of Bihar in October 1990. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
Home-grown fear Feb 22, 2009
There have been suggestions that the accused were motivated by the anti-Muslim pogroms in Gujarat in 2002, and the destruction of the Babri mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya a decade earlier. The Mumbai-based civil rights activist Teesta Setalwad recently met one of the accused, Mansoor Peerbhoy, in custody. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Sorry but Kalyan's still villian of Babri: Muslims Feb 7, 2009
Bulandshahr (UP): While Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh claims that the affinity with rebel BJP leader Kalyan Singh would not adversely affect his goodwill with Muslims, many from the community in Uttar Pradesh still consider Kalyan Singh as the one who headed the Ayodhya temple movement, culminating in the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992. Bulandshahr, a western UP town and the political citadel of Kalyan Singh, has a large Muslim population and is a hot topic here. (IBNLive.com)
M J Akbar: Why blame Kalyan alone? Feb 7, 2009
Congress Muslims clambered over the dead stones of the Babri mosque in order to get promotions or places in the Rao cabinet. They sold Babri for a bowl of thin soup. (India Times, India)
