"If any one of the Gandhi family members was the Prime Minister, the Babri Mosque would be standing," Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had said on the trail of the general elections.
And the controversial statement clearly gave away, what many in the Congress see as Narasimha Rao's role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Ironically, the Liberhan Commission exonerates Rao, saying:
- Rao did not expect things to go out of hand
- President's rule if imposed could have damaged the federal structure
- The Commission wasn't asked to probe the role of the Centre.
Yet, the Congress wants to distance itself, old Gandhi faithfuls more so than others.
"Congress was not responsible. Narasimha Rao was," says Congress leader M L Foteday.
In Parliament on Monday, several Congress MPs went home with a hard copy of the report to prepare a defence of the party, along the framework already laid down by Rahul Gandhi.
So when the report is debated the Congress will be aggressive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and make a distinction between the Congress under Rao and the Congress now, which is getting back its Muslim vote.
"We cannot shirk the moral responsibility. We were in power and we have suffered. But so has the country," says Congress leader Salman Khurshid.
Did Narasimha Rao fall into a Sangh Parivar trap or did he deliberately look the other way? The Liberhan report says he was innocent, but the Congress is confident.
