Muslim law board to take Mulayam head on
Nov 20, 2006 - 10:47:33 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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Erected hastily in the aftermath of the December 1992 demolition, the makeshift temple has of late been the target of militant groups. When the central government reviewed its security plan in the wake of an abortive fidayeen attack by Kashmiri militants in July last year, the Uttar Pradesh government readily endorsed a suggestion for erecting a bullet-proof wall all around the makeshift shrine.
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By Indo Asian News Service,
[RxPG] Lucknow, Nov 20 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's honeymoon with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has apparently run into rough weather. The board plans to target his 'wishy-washy approach to the Babri Mosque issue' among other matters at its Nov 26 meet.
On top of the agenda at the board's working committee meeting in New Delhi is the chief minister's 'dilly-dallying' on the 16th century Babri Mosque that was demolished by Hindu hardliners on Dec 6, 1992. AIMPLB officials also tend to believe the much-publicised opposition campaign about Yadav's alleged 'underhand deal' with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claim he has done nothing to nail the leaders allegedly involved in razing the mosque down.
Unless the chief minister urgently undertakes drastic damage control measures, there is no way he can save himself from the board's brickbats at the meeting.
Board legal adviser Zafaryab Jilani told media persons here Monday: 'No sooner than he took over as chief minister three years ago, we urged Mulayam Singh Yadav to issue a fresh notification for constitution of a special court to hold trial of top BJP leaders allegedly involved in the Babri mosque demolition conspiracy. But nothing has been done by him so far.'
The issue was discussed by some prominent members of the board executive in the past two days. 'Members of the board have taken serious note of the chief minister's dilly-dallying on such a vital issue,' Jilani said.
He said: 'We sent him at least three reminders in the three years, but he has not cared to even send a reply. It is high time he makes his stand clear or else we would have reason to doubt whether he is in league with the BJP.'
The issue of a fresh notification is of extreme importance to reopen the trial against top BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and others against whom proceedings were dropped following a February 2001 high court order that found a technical snag in the earlier notification for constitution of the special court.
However, even as the high court invalidated the very constitution of the special trial court in Lucknow, it was clearly spelt out by the two-judge high court bench that criminal proceedings against these prominent leaders could be revived with the issue of a fresh notification by the state government.
'Isn't is strange that a chief minister, who proclaims to be a messiah of Muslims in the country, avoids the issue that is so close to the hearts of millions of Muslims across the length and breadth of the country?' asked Qasim Rasool Illyasi, official spokesman of the board.
Illyasi is also sore over the government's decision to recommend re-fortification of the makeshift temple that stands on the disputed Ayodhya site.
Erected hastily in the aftermath of the December 1992 demolition, the makeshift temple has of late been the target of militant groups. When the central government reviewed its security plan in the wake of an abortive fidayeen attack by Kashmiri militants in July last year, the Uttar Pradesh government readily endorsed a suggestion for erecting a bullet-proof wall all around the makeshift shrine.
The board has taken strong exception to Yadav's nod to bullet-proofing of the shrine. 'We have nothing against the security of the disputed site, but raising a bulletproof wall would be tantamount to violation of a 1994 Supreme Court order to maintain status quo,' argued Jilani.
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