THE BABRI MASJID QUESTION, 1528-2003 � A Matter of National Honour (2 Volumes)
Editor: A.G. Noorani
Publisher: Tulika Books, 35A/1(Third Floor), Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049.
Price: Rs. 750 (Vol. 1), Rs. 550 (Vol.2).

Reviwed by Parvathi Menon

"WHAT IS the significance of December, 6, 1992?" was one of a set of questions that a leading national daily recently posed to a constellation of film stars and ex-beauty queens who joined politics this election season. Amongst the younger set, there was not one who knew the answer, despite the fact that a majority of them had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Their ignorance of a date and event that marked the ascent to political power of the very party they had joined is not just a measure of their ignorance of politics. It also signifies the slow erasure from public memory in general of the demolition of the Babri Masjid almost 12 years ago by the Sangh Parivar leaders and activists, and the political import of that event.

It would appear that the public outrage that followed this illegal and reprehensible act has dissipated over the years � and not just within the population subset of film stars. Amongst most sections of people whose views constitute public opinion, the rights and wrongs of the Ayodhya issue no longer appear to be as clear as they were. After all, the principal accused in the Babri Masjid demolition cases are in power, with the criminal cases against them stuck in the courts and seemingly going nowhere.

In a situation of systematic obfuscation by the Sangh Parivar of the historical background and goals of the Ayodhya movement, the task of placing the Babri Masjid question on record was one that urgently needed to be done. To A.G. Noorani, the well-known lawyer, historian and political commentator must go the credit for doing this. Noorani has marshalled the most important primary source material on the Babri Masjid question in this edited two-volume publication.

The book comprises an impressive archive of the relevant historical, archaeological, political and legal documents from the 19th Century to the present day on the Ayodhya controversy, an invaluable guide and reference book to the facts of what is arguably one of the foremost political issues of the day. The compilation will in time become an important contribution to Indian historiography as it lays a solid foundation of historical truth and objectivity for future historians to work with.

In his Introduction, Noorani draws the main contours of the two-decade long Ram temple movement. Building from the historical lie on which the Ram temple movement was built, namely that the Mughal Emperor Babar destroyed a temple at the exact birthplace of Lord Rama to build a mosque, he describes the process by which the Masjid was first forcibly converted into a Mandir and subsequently demolished.

He argues that "official support and judicial apathy" through this period allowed the tide of the Ram temple movement to swell, and the BJP to prosper politically. "There has not been a vestige of truth or morality in the entire movement from the very inception to this day" he writes. A charge sheet framed in September 1997 by the Additional Sessions Judge (Ayodhya case) against those accused of conspiracy to demolish the mosque included the names of Mr. L.K. Advani, Mr. Bal Thackeray, Mr. M.M. Joshi and Ms. Uma Bharati. However, the accused have successfully avoided facing the court for the last seven years.

The documents have been arranged chronologically and thematically. The first volume starts, most fittingly, with an excerpt from the will of Babar which he left for his son Humayun. Here lies the thoughtful articulation by a medieval ruler of the kernal of the modern concept of secularism. Bestowing upon his son a country "full of different religions", Babar urges Humayun to "wipe all religious prejudices off the tablet of your heart", "let the subjects of different beliefs harmonise... ", and "not ruin the temples and shrines of any community which is obeying the laws of government."

A major part of the first volume comprises documents that deal with the historicity of the Ramjanmabhoomi legend. Reprinted here are scholarly tracts on the history and archaeology of the Ayodhya region, excerpts from the writings of Hindutva historians on the issue and the rejoinders to them, and the report of the Archaeological Survey of India on the excavations conducted at the disputed site in 2003. It also contains documents � a large number of them drawn from sources that reflect the Sangh Parivar point of view � that provide a compelling picture of the run-up to the mosque's demolition.

The second volume presents documentation � primarily from journalistic writing and other eye-witness accounts � on the destruction itself, its pre-planned course, the foreknowledge that the police had of the event, and the implication of top leaders of the BJP and the RSS in its destruction.

There are many damning quotes by senior BJP leaders which they would perhaps not like to be reminded of today. Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi told a newspaper after the demolition that he was not repentant over what happened.

Mr. L.K. Advani reportedly said he was surprised at the criticism from the then Prime Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao and the then President, Shankar Dayal Sharma on the demolition. After all it was an old structure built by Babar. Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a press interview soon after the demolition in which he called the Babri Masjid a "symbol of shame" that "has been erased".

While the documents speak for themselves, Noorani's studied conclusion is that the Ayodhya movement's aim is the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra in which the constitutional structure will remain a formality, denuded of the principles of secularism, democracy and the rule of law. It is a compelling argument, fully supported by his meticulously compiled documentary evidence.

source:
The Hindu