Kalyan testifies before Liberhan panel under oath

In the season of affidavits, one submitted by former UP chief minister and BJP leader Kalyan Singh to the Liberhan Commission has created mu...

In the season of affidavits, one submitted by former UP chief minister and BJP leader Kalyan Singh to the Liberhan Commission has created much curiosity.

Taking everyone by surprise, Singh, who had refused to testify ever since the Commission was set up in 1993, even getting a stay order to avoid appearing before the panel, has now done so under oath. By submitting a written affidavit, he is liable for prosecution for perjury and lying, as his statements are bound by oath.

Sources say it is for this reason that Singh has been ‘‘coerced’’ by his party to submit an affidavit to tell his side of the story, one in which he can never retract from in the future. This should come as a welcome relief to his senior party colleagues, namely former PM A.B. Vajpayee, former Home minister L.K. Advani, HRD minister M.M. Joshi, and the Sangh Parivar leadership.

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Two years ago, on June 20, 2003, Singh publicly hit out at Vajpayee, Advani and Joshi, saying the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya had been destroyed on the instructions of senior BJP leaders and the Sangh Parivar, all of whom ‘‘were part of the conspiracy to destroy the mosque in December 1992’’. Singh was then reacting to the Vajpayee government’s deposition which put the blame squarely on him when its counsel said Singh, as chief minister, had failed to deploy Central troops to protect the mosque.

Singh’s outburst was seen as a desperate attempt to protect himself — he was no longer CM, and he had quit the BJP. However, six months later, the way was paved for Singh’s return to the party, and he returned to the fold in January 2004. Despite his return, the relationship between Singh and his party leaders has been underlined with mutual suspicion and fear, say sources.

In December 2004, Singh finally agreed to depose before the Commission saying the Delhi High Court had dismissed his writ petition, which had so far exempted him from appearing before the Commission. However, legal sources say the Delhi HC had dismissed the petition on technical grounds (non-appearance of his counsel), and Singh could have appealed again to avoid appearing before the Commission.

Singh’s first deposition began on December 2, 2004, and in the last four months, he has appeared at least 13 times. Says the Commission’s counsel, Anupam Gupta: ‘‘It is true none of the star witnesses like Advani, Uma Bharati, M.M. Joshi, K.S. Sudarshan and others have testified under oath. Today, Singh’s testimony has become the longest deposition for any witness of the Commission, running into almost 300 pages.’’