The ruling BJP camp ruled out resignation of the Union minister Uma Bharti following the Supreme Court's order Wednesday allowing the CBI's plea for restoration of criminal conspiracy charge in the 1992
Babri Masjid demolition case against Bharti and top BJP leaders including L K Advani, M M Joshi and Kalyan Singh.
The apex court's order might have political implications for these leaders, especially Advani considered to be among the BJP's possible candidates for the upcoming election to the post of the President of India.
Replying to reporters' questions on Bharti's resignation in the wake of the apex court's order, the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "This case is going on since 1993…and no new situation has arisen. So the situation which was prevailing will continue."
Indicating that Bharti and Joshi had been Union ministers and Advani been the Deputy Prime Minister during the trial in this case earlier, Jaitley said, "There have been Ministers, there have been Deputy Prime Minister," thereby making it clear that the earlier situation will continue.
On whether the Supreme Court's verdict will have a bearing on selection of the BJP's candidates for the posts of the President and the Vice President in upcoming elections, Jaitley merely said, "It is hypothetical".
To a question, Jaitley shot back, saying "If charge sheet is the rule (to resign), then just calculate, how many Congress chief ministers will (have to step down)".
Regarding the Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Jaitley referred to the apex court order which noted that the former enjoys constitutional immunity and could be tried only after he ceases to hold his office.
Separately, the BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "We don’t think there can be any action against anyone from party against these leaders because all of them were involved in Ram Mandir movement."
On her part, an unfazed Bharti rejected the demand for her resignation, slamming the main Opposition Congress. There was "no conspiracy and everything was in open" in the Babri demolition matter, she told reporters.
Bharti said she was "proud, unapologetic and unrepentant" about her association with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and was prepared to get "hanged or be jailed" over construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
She claimed she will leave for Ayodhya tonight to seek Lord Ram's blessings, but later reportedly cancelled her visit.
Holding that she had quit the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's post over a decade ago after a court had convicted her in a case involving the national flag, Bharti said : "In this (Ayodhya) case, the charges are yet to be proved…the post of a minister is too small for me….This is the country of cow, Ganga, Ram, tricolour. I will sacrifice life if I see insult of any of them."
Following the apex court's order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the BJP president Amit Shah and his senior Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and M Venkaiah Naidu. They might have discussed the legal and political ramifications of this order, although there was no official word about it.
The Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP will study in detail the apex court's verdict and that
the party highly respected its leaders like Advani and Joshi.
In its subdued reaction, the Congress said the guilty in the Babri demolition case should be punished.
The senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal rued that it had taken 25 years for the cause of justice to take this
step forward.
The Congress spokesman Manish Tewari refrained from making comments on Bharti's charges against the Congress top brass, saying that she was "rattled" by the apex court's order. Regarding Bharti's resignation, he said the Congress would leave it to PM Modi's conscience and morality.