Sharad Pawar Says BJP Leader Had Assured Then PM In 1992 That Nothing Would Happen To Babri Masjid

Pawar made these comments at the launch of senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury's book 'How Prime Ministers Decide', PTI reported.

Pawar, who was the defence minister at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition, said he along with then home minister and the home secretary was present at the meeting, the report said.

"There was a group of ministers and I was one of them... It was decided that the prime minister should call a meeting of leaders of the respective party," Pawar was quoted as having said in the report.

"In that meeting, Vijaya Raje Scindia had assured the prime minister that nothing would happen to the Babri Masjid," he said, as per the report.
Pawar said that while he, the home minister and home secretary felt anything could happen, Rao chose to believe Scindia, it mentioned.

Chowdhury, meanwhile, recalled a conversation that Rao had with some senior journalists in the aftermath of the mosque demolition where the prime minister was asked what he was doing when the demolition happened, it said.

She claimed that Rao had told journalists that he allowed it to happen because it would end a festering sore and he felt the BJP would lose its main political card, it added.

The book was launched by Pawar, along with Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, former railway minister and BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi, and Maharashtra's former CM Prithviraj Chavan, it said.

The discussion was moderated by senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, it mentioned.

It added Trivedi recalled the time of Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister and the role of Arun Nehru, one of his key advisors.

"Arun Nehru was like family... That was one of the best periods and if it continued things would be very different," Trivedi said, as per the report.

Prithviraj Chavan, who served as a Union minister in the UPA government, said not handling the Anna Hazare movement properly caused the downfall of the Congress-led alliance, it said.

"What caused that downfall was what happened immediately before that. Scams, 2G... We didn't handle Anna Hazare rightly. That's what brought an end to the Congress government," he said as per the report.

He also said that former prime minister Manmohan Singh was good at building consensus and mentioned the nuclear deal, it said.