AYODHYA: 6 December 1992

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I cannot count how many people both friends and opponents have hurled at me the question, why did you not impose president's Rule in Uttar Pradesh in order to save the Babri Masjid from vandalism on 6 December 1992? Indeed this question must be examined..

P. V. Narasimha Rao was the prime minister of India when in December 1992, kar sevaks flouting a supreme Court order, streamed into Ayodhya in thousands. On 6 December to the horror of the entire nation they attacked the Babri Masjid and began to demolish the structure. The communal riots that followed ripped apart the secular fabric of the nation. Even today, the Ramajanmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute has not been resolved, and Ayodhya remains a hotbed of political intrigue and communal tension.

Could nothing have been done to prevent what happened at Ayodhya on 6 December 1992? Why did the Union government take no action when the Kar Sevaks were flouting a Supreme Court order? Why were paramilitary forces not deployed to protect the Babri Masjid when it was under imminent threat? Why did the state government of Uttar Pradesh not intervene in any way and why did senior BJP leaders watch helplessly even as the mosque was being torn down? And why did it take so long for President's Rule to be imposed on the state?

Ayodhya: 6 December 1992 records Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao's view of what really happened at Ayodhya and why. Comparing the 6 December 1992 incident with the unsuccessful attack on the Babri Masjid by Kar Sevaks in 1990, Rao discloses in no uncertain terms how the issue of building a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was politized for electrol benefit. Discussing Article 356 of the constitution at length, he explains why it was inadvisable to place UP under President's Rule. Drawing on the Supreme Court order, parliamentary proceedings, eyewitness reports and his own political insights, he presents as comprehensive account of the machinations that led to the attack on the Babri Masjid and indicates who might have gained from it and how.

About the Author:

He was born in Karimnagar in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad in June 1921. After playing an active part in Hyderabad independence movement he served as a congress minister of the state in 1971. In 1977 he was elected to the Lok Sabha and went on to hold several cabinet posts under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, including those of foreign minister and home minister. After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, Rao was chosen to lead the congress party, and became prime minister of India. Leading a minority government Rao was the first prime minister from outside the Gandhi-Nehru family to serve out a full five-year term. His premiership is remembered for the liberation of the Indian economy and the move towards free-market reforms. Rao resigned as Congress president after the party lost the 1996 general elections. He died in December 2004.