Babri demolition a 'dead issue': BJP

Dismissing the Babri masjid demolition as a "dead issue", the BJP on Saturday accused the Congress of raking up the matter to divert people's attention from real issues of economy, price rise, farmers' suicides, unemployment and terrorism. "The Congress is becoming jittery and they are all raising dead issues...Babri", senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told a press conference here. He said the real issues concern economy, price rise, farmers' suicides, unemployment and terrorism but neither the Congress President Sonia Gandhi, nor Rahul Gandhi nor the Congress party had the "capacity" to talk about these issues. Babri masjid demolition is of no "consequence" for the people now, he said, adding, "nobody is worried about Babri (demolition) now. It's virtually a forgotten issue but for pseudo-secular political parties". Mr. Naidu also sought to attack key regional parties, saying they raised the bogey of secularism whenever it suited them and noting that DMK, AIADMK, TDP, JDS, BJD, PMK and MDMK had joined hands with BJP in the past (and not in BJP-led NDA now). He said the BJP wants to caution the people about the 'so-called secular' parties who had always raised the bogey of secularism and termed it a biggest fraud on the people. "To cover up corruption, Lalu Prasad talks of secularism", he said.

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