Senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who is being attacked by both the Sunni Waqf Board and PM Narendra Modi for his stand on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, on Wednesday claimed that he never represented the board in the case and asked the prime minister to check facts before saying something in public.
"I learnt that the prime minister and Amit Shah have said that I represented the Sunni Waqf Board in the Supreme Court, but I was never representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the Ayodhya issue. It would have been better had the prime minister been more careful and checked the facts before saying so in public. What I said in court on his divisive agenda, he has proved that right in a single day," the former Union minister said.
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Sibal said instead of worrying about whom he represents in court, the prime minister should be more concerned about the problems before the country and his home state of Gujarat. He said there were serious problems arising out of demonetisation and implementation of GST besides uprising of youths against the BJP due to job loss and lack of employment, the state of education and health and those of tribals and also rising pollution.
"There are serious problems concerning the country. But look at the priorities of the prime minister. We want to take the country forward, but he wants to take it behind. We want to unite the society, but he wants to divide it," Sibal said.
Asked whether he wanted the temple to be built, Sibal said it is up to Lord Rama to do so and the court and not Narendra Modi. "We have faith in God and Lord Rama and not in Modi. The Ram temple in Ayodhya will be built only when the Lord wants and the courts will decide and not Modi," he also said.
ALSO READ | Sunni Waqf Board distances itself from Kapil Sibal's stand in SC, says it wants immediate solution on Ayodhya dispute
Sibal's remarks came on a day when the Sunni Waqf Board distanced itself from his stand on Ayodhya dispute in the Supreme Court. Sunni Waqf Board member Haji Mehboob, the petitioner in the case, said that Sibal argued the case in the top court as a Congress leader and not on behalf of the board.
Lauding Sunni Waqf Board for disassociating itself from the stand taken by senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Ayodhya dispute in Supreme Court, PM Modi said that the board must be congratulated for its brave stand on the matter. "The Sunni Waqf Board must be congratulated for their brave stand on the matter and disassociating themselves from the statement of Kapil Sibal ji," PM Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Gujarat.
On Tuesday, Sibal had urged the apex court to take up the Ayodhya case in July 2019 after the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leader had told the top court that the issue has been politicised and any decision in the matter could have broader political ramifications. "Construction of Ram temple is part of BJP manifesto in 2014, court should not fall into the trap", Sibal had said.
However, the demand was brushed aside by the top court as it fixed February 8, 2018 for commencing final hearing in the case.
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