New Delhi, July 21: Congress today accused Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of "misusing" CBI to drop the charge of "criminal conspiracy" against Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Human Resource Development Minister M M Joshi and some others in the Babri Masjid demolition case and sought an "adequate and convincing" reply from him on the issue. "All was done by the BJP-led coalition government. The Prime Minister must be held responsible for all these. We, therefore, want the government to come forward with an adequate gesture. Vajpayee should offer a convincing reply in Parliament and to the nation", party spoksman S Jaipal Reddy told reporters.
Demanding dismissal of Advani and Joshi, he said Congress has been arguing for the last five years that continuance of Advani, Joshi and others in the government, in the face of chargesheet filed by CBI, would not be only "detrimental to the norms of public charge, but would eventually be detrimental to justice itself".
Refuting BJP and government`s explanation that Section 120 (B)(Conspiracy) was not mentioned in the CBI chargesheet, Reddy said the agency had filed two chargesheets -- one in 1993 and the other in 1997 and the latter one did mention it.
"The chargesheet filed by CBI remains, the fact contained in it remains which showed how Advani and others were involved in the demolition. How they made inflammatory speeches. How they conspired from the residence of party leader Vinay Katiyar in Ayodhya", he said.
Bureau Report