Mani Shankar Aiyar, a prominent leader within the Congress party, has stated that the responsibility for unlocking the gates of the Babri Masjid lies with the party itself, not with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Aiyar further asserted that Arun Nehru, whom he referred to as “BJP-planted,” played a role in this decision.
Aiyar additionally expressed his belief that if Rajiv Gandhi had been alive and serving as the prime minister instead of P V Narasimha Rao, the Babri Masjid would likely still be standing. According to Aiyar, Gandhi would have provided a fitting response to the BJP and found a resolution similar to the one eventually reached by the Supreme Court years later.
He commended the leadership of the Congress for opting not to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple scheduled for January 22.
Aiyar made these remarks on Friday during the unveiling of his book titled “The Rajiv I Knew And Why He Was India’s Most Misunderstood Prime Minister,” published by Juggernaut.
Speaking at the event, Aiyar highlighted, “He (Gandhi) advocated keeping the masjid and constructing the temple. The Supreme Court, in a way, echoed a similar sentiment by suggesting the construction of the temple and relocating the masjid. In essence, the judgment aligns with the conclusion Rajiv was leaning towards.”
In a candid conversation with ‘journalist’ Vir Sanghvi, tainted in the Niira Radia scam, Aiyar noted that during the final years of Congress governance, challenges escalated with a prime minister unable to make decisive decisions. This void, he argued, allowed the BJP under Modi’s leadership to step in.
As the Ram temple consecration ceremony approached, Aiyar and Sanghvi focused much of their conversation on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. Regarding the opening of locks on the Babri Masjid gates in 1986, Aiyar attributed the decision to Arun Nehru and emphasised that Rajiv Gandhi, with a significant parliamentary majority, had no need to appease any particular group.
Aiyar claimed that Nehru, who later joined the BJP, orchestrated the unlocking by supporting the election of Veer Bahadur Singh as the chief minister. According to Aiyar, Singh then obtained a petition claiming that the locks were not judicially ordered but were executed by an administrative directive. Consequently, the locks were opened, and a large gathering of Hindu pilgrims surged in without Rajiv’s knowledge.
Aiyar insisted that while there was Congress involvement in unlocking the gates, the person responsible intentionally kept it hidden from Rajiv, who would not have approved such an action. He labeled Arun Nehru as a “BJP plant.”
