Thursday, February 24 2005 20:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Hours after an application was moved before the Liberhan Commission today (Feb 24, 2005) to summon former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy to demolish the disputed structure at Ayodhya in 1992, counsel for senior BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader L K Advani opposed it by terming it as politicially motivated.

The application moved by Aslam Bhure, who has also challenged before the Supreme Court on dropping of charges against Advani for the demolition of structure, quoted recent media reports based on the CD containing Vajpayee's speech, day before the demolition, as an evidence for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy.

Immediately filing reply to the application, counsel for Advani and senior BJP leaders M M Joshi and Uma Bharati sought its dismisssal terming it as "misconceived" and "politically" motivated.

"The allegations levelled by Bhure in this application against Vajpayee are absolutely false, baseless and highly vague. They are all denied in to-to.

"The alleged CD was already before this Commission and no such conclusion of any involvement of Vajpayee either could be drawn or can be drawn, as being done by Bhure from the content of the CD," advocate Satya Pal Jain said in the reply.

The BJP leaders contended that the purpose of the application seems to be "just political" and to delay the proceedings of the Commission whiich otherwise has already closed the evidence of the parties and the statement of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, during whose tenure the medieval structure was demolished, was being recorded as the same could not be done earlier.