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When
sentiments of Sikhs were hurt, I had warned...
WSN Bureau
As a tribute to the former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, the WSN
presents excerpts from his speech in the Lok Sabha on December 17,
1992, just days after the demolition of Babri Mosque on December 6
that year. This has been taken from the recorded minutes of the Lok
Sabha.
 SHRI CHANDRA SHEKHAR (Ballia): Mr. Speaker, Sir, the debate that we
are having today is very unfortunate. Because this debate had
started with Atalji's speech who is not present here, and who taught
us a lesson of nobility, sincerity and tolerance. He informed us as
to what are our traditions. He presented the glorious chapter of
India's past before us. It appeared as though all the nobility,
tolerance, grace fraternity and universal brotherhood which have
been a part of our history since time immemorial, are once again
regaining their glory.
It
appeared to me as if he does not have any association with the party
which proudly announced that a stigma has been wiped out from Mother
India. Perhaps he does not have any association with people who said
with great pride and ego that with the demolition of Masjid a sign
of barbarism has been removed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it appeared to me
that neither they are aware of their own history nor of the dignity
of the nation. It was not the Masjid that was demolished, in fact it
were the India's glorious traditions, India's history. India's
tolerance and India's humanistic traditions that were thrown to
winds.
Here many sanyasis are present, the people well-versed with Hindu
culture are present, but at least, I have no knowledge whether a
king, a valiant person, believing in Hindu culture, might have ever
pulled down a place of worship.
Mr.
Speaker, Sir, when I say Sir, I say this also that there has been
ups and downs, many time we won and defeated but it must be
remembered that inspite of the invasions of Mohammad Gori, Mohamood
Ghaznavi and Changez Khan the people of India did never abandon
their tolerance. But we could not erase the memories of those
periods of tolerance and bitterness from the history. Today, I would
like to submit Shri Atalji and Shri Jaswant Singh ji that out of
excessive enthusiasm or for the sake of monetary political gain we
have violated all the conventions. today the biggest newspaper of
France "La Monde" has written that secularism in India has ended
forever." In India many times we witnessed the ups and downs but
barring the Egyptian culture which never extincted nor broke down
and met any downfall, the Hindu religion is the only surviving
religion hitherto… Why these sobriety elegance and sensibility are
no more now? The next day of the Ayodhya incident Shri Atalji stated
that they were ashamed and constrained.
His
statement appeared in the newspapers. Shri Advani, the leader of the
opposition too resigned from his post. He stated that he could nor
fulfill
 his liability and promise. He further said that his party
was responsible for the blot on the country and the government
arrested him. Then why you suddenly changed your attitude the very
next day by breaking all the conventions when Government arrested
you under an ordinary section of the IPC. You were kept in jail as a
special guest only. You forgot all sobreties, elegance, Indian
customs, civilization manners and culture due to arresting of some
persons? I was also of the view that arrests should not be made and
I was against that, I was not in favour of that arrest. Even today I
am not in favour of it but why after the arrest of some people you
suddenly changed your attitude. Why did you change your role. Shri
Indrajit Gupta rightly warned you not to ride on this lion. You
turned a deaf ear to his warning and collected so many people there.
Shri Advani says that one and a half lakh people were under control
and were disciplined and only five hundred people were demolishing
the mosque. Were the one and a half lakh people so inactive that
they could not prevent five hundred persons from demolishing the
mosque. Whom do you want to believe it in this world? To whom does
he want to clarify it? It may be possible that they may succeed by
raising this slogan. It is also possible that their number may
increase in the Parliament. Three days back, I heard some of my
colleagues challenging as to who would dare to build the mosque and
if somebody lays even a brick there he will have his house and doors
destroyed. If you do some then it must be remembered that with the
destruction of the doors and houses, the glorious past of India too
will be lost and its responsibility will be yours. You will be held
responsible for transgressing the constitution and dis-honouring the
Indian civilisation. This is not the only example, history has
witnessed a lot of that. Those who propagate civilisation and
culture in the world and talk about past glory and conventions the
same people, culture, attitude and political activities produces
Hitler like dictators. The world has witnesed it once. It shall not
be witnessed again. It may witness it anywhere alse in the world but
it would be better if it is not of in our country, Because inspite
of all bitterness India has not violated its tenets.
Mr.
Speaker, Sir, how did all this has happened so suddenly? I will not
go into that matter. On the one hand sobriety, elegance, tolerance
are being talked, on the other hand we witnessed the exhibition of
valour and power, heard the provocation worlds of valour, the
belligerent cries. Shri Arjun Singh is not present here this time.
When he was speaking, it appeared to us as if Arjun of the
Mahabharata is speaking here. “Neither will we withdraw, not will we
submit.” When our colleague Shri Sharad Pawar was speaking so, I was
proud of him that an hon. Minister of Defence is speaking. But what
happened to such valour on the day of Ayodhya incident? I do not
understand whether we are acting in a theatre or discussing a
situation.This House is not a theatre, characters do not come to act
here, they come to express here the sentiments of the people of the
country. Drama is being enacted from both sides.
Therefore, I believe that Shri Sharad Yadav understood them better
than I, such politics of
 hypocricy, and hypocritical exhortions
will neither create the history of the country nor would check the
deteriorating situation.
What is the situation in the country today. Whom will you fight? Our
hon. colleagues Shri Somnath Chatterjee and Shri Indrajit Gupta were
calling on table on to be united and start fighting. But with whom
should we fight. Under the leadership of the hon. Prime Minister we
unanimously passed the resolution in the National Integration
Council. We drafted that resolution. Many of our colleagues had
doubts in this regard. We assured that we will fully support you.
That day, we were not relying upon Shri Indrajit Gupta Shri Somnath
Chatterjee, Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Shri Chandra Jeet Yadav or Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpayee. That day our confidence was upon Shri Advani,
upon Shri Bala Saheb Deoras, saints and sadhus and we were asked to
co-operate. We appreciate your feelings of co- operation, but I have
a doubt in my mind which I want to put forth before the country, its
people and you hon. Members. Why the meeting of the National
Integration Council was summoned?Why we were asked to move a
resolution for their assistance? We are not innocent children.
We
had no such aspiration that our co-operation should be sought to be
accepted by the Prime Minister. We have no power. We are not in the
Government. We do not have the support of the elites. But we respect
the hon. Prime Minister with great deliberation and regard. But I
have pity for the stubborn outlook of the Hon. Prime Minister.
Therefore, I have again and again said that we all stand by you in
this fight, because this fight is not against any particular party.
I do not speak about the communal forces. This fight is for the
cause of protecting the dignity and prestige of the nation. This
fight is intended to survive the soul of the country. In Ayodhya
incident it was not the demolition of a temple or mosque only. We
were not worried so much about the demolition of a temple or a
mosque only. We were not worried so much about the demolition of
temples or mosques. But today the hearts of crores of people have
been broken which cannot be repaired.
The
Government cannot awaken them merely with its speeches. The faith of
15 crore Indian people has shattered. I remember, I am forced to
speak out those very things which people do not like. When the
sentiments of one and a half crore Sikhs were hurt, that time also I
warned the Government of not doing so. That time we were ridiculed
and critised too much. History has been witness to it, and what is
happening in Punjab now. Could the Government subdue them with the
military force? These 15 crore Indian Muslims did not come from any
Arab country or other foreign countries. They are our bretherns.
Would the Government suppress them or throw and down them into the
Arabian sea. Where will these 15 crore Indians go and what will be
the consequence when 15 thousand of their youths will be ready to
challenge the Government? ... The country has to be rebuilt. Many
times arrests are made, excesses are subjected to people due to the
excess which are caused by the activities of unworthy person. And
you are ready to blot on this country and set the entire world
allege that efforts are being made in India to deprive the people of
their religious freedom.
Should all of us not feel ashamed of it? You made a statement and
said that you have not portrayed a true picture here. I did not say
that it was merely a structure, where 'puja' was performed there. 'Namaz'
was not offered this is true Atal ji, though nothing was there, yet,
the building was as old as about 500 years or 421 years.
When it will be known to any country in the world that a place of
worship or whether it is not a place of worship has been pulled down
in this country for political reasons, nobody in the world would
appreciate you and rather the world would condemn it because our
civilisation and culture are a part of our glorious history which
you have damaged. Do the members of Bhartiya Janata Party feel that
they would be applauded for this act in the world?
...History takes its own course, its verdicts are very hard, it
never spares anybody. In this course, there may be some delay but it
will certainly decide the matter.
Sir, I would like to know, whether Government can justify the action
of the people to the world. The irate mob climbed the mosque at 1.45
or 11.30 p.m. on December 6 and the Government remained silent till
6.15 A.M. the next day. Such an inactive Government says that they
had been deceived and kept in the dark. You were not deceived, you
have deceived yourself and the people of the country. Therefore, I
submit that participating in this discussion is very difficult.
Hypocrisy is at its peak on both the sides. Where should we go?
Sometimes we feel that this is a worthless Government and it should
go. But then we think, on which side should we go? Should we support
those who are even more hypocrites? I would like to point out that
people like us, have never witnessed such a situation and never been
in such dilemma. We went to jail directly from the Congress Working
Committee, and there was no dilemma in our mind even for a moment.
But how should I say that I have faith in this Government.
11 July, 2007
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