Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on June 20 alleged that the Babri Masjid had been demolished under the direction of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and senior Sangh Parivar leaders, who were "part of a conspiracy".

"I was Chief Minister but they kept every thing under wrap and even forced me to sign on the dotted line," he alleged at a press conference, a day after the Centre accused his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government of failing to deploy Central forces to protect the mosque in 1992 at Ayodhya.

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"Under the assurance of senior BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, I had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court that the masjid would be protected... But all of them betrayed me," Singh, who has since been expelled from BJP, said.

PTI