Ahead of the September 24 Ayodhya verdict, French historian and political pundit Christophe Jaffrelot has held former prime minister the late Rajiv Gandhi indirectly responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid.
Speaking after launching his book, Religion, Caste and Politics in India, at the French embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday, the expert said, "From the Shah Bano case to opening the mosque on VHP's request to launching his election campaign from 'Ram's land' Faizabad, he [Rajiv Gandhi] was playing Hindus against Muslims and vice-versa."
At the same time, Jaffrelot, who teaches South Asian politics and history at SciencesPo in Paris, cautioned the saffron brigade against re-launching its anti-Muslim tirade. He reminded BJP that the middle class had deserted it in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections for the same reason.
No comments:
Post a Comment