Allahabad court stay 'temporary': Congress

The Congress Party on Tuesday termed as 'temporary' the verdict of the Allahabad high court staying framing of charges against Union Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

"The verdict of the Allahabad high court is of a temporary nature. Rejection of resignation of Joshi was not unexpected. It was always on the pipeline. It was all high drama and low comedy," party spokesman S Jaipal Reddy said.

He dismissed suggestions that the Congress was not forthcoming on the issue ever since the special court of Rae Bareli gave its verdict discharging Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and ordered framing up charges against seven, including Joshi.

"We have not been reserved. I repudiate the suggestion", he said.

The party, he added, has been consistently alleging the gross misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation by those in the ministry including Advani, Joshi and everybody else.

Right from the day the National Democratic Alliance came to power, he said they have been trying to sabotage the case in relation to demolition of Babri Masjid. "We believe that justice cannot be done in the case until the NDA government is thrown out from Delhi," he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party president M Venkaiah Naidu expressed happiness over the court stay. "It was a political case and it would be fought out politically and legally," he added.

"We are happy about the stay given by the court and I am confident, subsequently when the issue comes up for hearing, all our people will be discharged," Naidu said.

Naidu, who had a meeting with BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharati, who is among the seven against whom the special court has ordered framing of charges in the Ayodhya case, said, "Other cases are also being discussed."

Soon after the Lucknow bench gave the stay order, Naidu spoke to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and thereafter Joshi was asked to withdraw his resignation letter.

He said the party had always been of the view that there was no need for anyone, against whom the special court had ordered framing of charges in the Ayodhya demolition case, to resign.