New Delhi, Sep 28 : Against the backdrop of the impending verdict on the Ayodhya title suit, Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Tuesday said the BJP should realise that 2010 was not 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished and asked the party to "restrain" its cadre.
"I hope BJP would realise that 2010 is not 1992...They should restrain their cadres from indulging in violence," Singh, the AICC General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters here.
Asked whether Ram was an emotive political issue, Singh agreed saying, "Ram is an emotive issue. It is definitely an emotive issue. He is our deity worshipped by Hindus all over the world. We have total faith in Bhagwan Ram". He, however, added that the communal forces are acting against the ethos of 'Sanatan Dharma'.
"But people have seen (through) the game of BJP-VHP-RSS, who have been fooling the people of the country on the issue," Singh said.
Charging BJP leader L K Advani of "vitiating the communal atmosphere" of the country in 1992, the Congress leader said that he has again brought up the issue of Ram temple in his statement in Somnath which he did not do when he was the Home Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister of the country.
"BJP's relationship with Ram is limited to elections. What was BJP doing (for Ram temple) when it was in power. They have only tried to use the issue politically," Singh said.
He said Congress will oppose anyone who tries to create communal divide in the country and added that after the judgement of the High Court, any party can approach the Supreme Court.
"The aim of the Congress is to maintain communal harmony and amity. All our party workers have been asked to remain in their areas on September 30 and work for maintaining communal harmony," the AICC general Secretary said. Singh dismissed suggestions that the Centre and the Congress was for the deferment of the Allahabad High court verdict.
"Government was never involved in it. Tripathi (petitioner in the case for deferment) is a kar sewak. The lawyer Mukul Rohtagi has been a lawyer for the BJP. He has been Narendra Modi's representative in the Supreme Court," the leader said. He also said there was no change in the stance of the party on the issue of deferment of the ruling. PTI
