Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he respected veteran BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a senior politician and did not know whether the Liberhan Commission has done the right thing or not by naming him in its report on the Babri demolition.
"Vajpayeeji is a senior leader. I respect him," Gandhi said at a press conference in Lucknow on being asked about the Liberhan Commission mentioning the former Prime Minister's name in the list 68 persons who were held culpable for the demolition in the year 1992.
Gandhi's comments came a day after the Congress adopted a conciliatory tone virtually giving a clean chit to Vajpayee in the conspiracy to bring down the Babri Masjid.
"Whether the Liberhan Commission has done a right thing or not, I cannot say...I am not a judge," Gandhi said.
Gandhi said he does not have the experience that Vajpayee has as a senior politician and veteran parliamentarian.
"I actually have not gone into the details of whether he (Vajpayee) was given an opportunity or not given an opportunity (to depose before the Liberhan Commission). So I do not really know the answer," Rahul said.
"All I say is that as far as I am concerned, Vajpayeeji is a senior politician and he is a senior person. As a young person and as a person who is nowhere near the experience of Vajpayeeji...in our tradition, I owe him a certain deal of respect, which I give. That's my view on this," he added.
Targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in her pocket borough, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday in Ambedkarnagar said the money issued for development was being spent on 'stones' even as he tried to strike a cord with the Dalit youths.
Gandhi claimed the development schemes of Union government for Uttar Pradesh have not touched the grounds and the "money issued for development is being spent on stones".
Gandhi, who landed in Ambedkarnagar district headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, first garlanded the statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, installed at the air strip.
He then held a meeting with about 2000 Dalit youths representing 26 parliamentary constituencies in various parts of the state.
Gandhi invited the Dalit youths to join politics and in his session that lasted for over an hour, said he wanted to educate the young leadership.
Ambedkarnagar is the stronghold of BSP and its one parliamentary and all the five assembly seats are with the party. PTI
