Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti Wednesday postponed her visit to Ayodhya by a few days, following the Supreme Court's order in the Babri Masjid demolition case. In the order, the SC restored criminal conspiracy charges against 14 people including senior BJP leaders LK Advani, MM Joshi and Uma Bharti. Earlier in the day she had announced her plan to visit the city to seek Lord Ram's blessings for the construction of a temple. Bharti said that the visit was postponed as it could have turned into a "political event" given the "media hype" surrounding the issue. Sources in the BJP said that the minister had cancelled her plan on the advice of BJP party president Amit Shah. Also Read | Babri Masjid demolition case: A timeline of the long-standing dispute "There was no conspiracy, everything was in the open.I was associated with the Ram temple movement with full confidence and pride. The court has said that we be tried for conspiracy. There was no conspiracy. Yes, I was present in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 (when the disputed structure was demolished). Where does one see any conspiracy?" Bharti asked. The minister said that she was ready to face any punishment it took to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya. "I am ready to face whatever punishment it takes for the construction of a temple at Ayodhya or be it on the issue of cleaning of the Ganga, the tricolour or cow. I have never repented or apologised," she said. Also Read | PM Modi meets senior ministers hours after SC order on Babri Masjid case Following SC's order, the opposition demanded her resignation, which were later ruled out by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Reacting to the Congress's demand, Bharti made a reference to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, claiming that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had sought to justify the killings post the assassination of Indira Gandhi. "When thousands of Sikhs died in the riots, Sonia Gandhi was at the house of her husband. Rajiv was trying to justify the massacre. So, can we say she was part of a conspiracy? The Congress has no moral right to seek my resignation," she said. Bharti said that at the same time she was not one to stick to any post, recalling she had quit chief minister of Madhya Pradesh over a decade ago, following a court order that convicted her in a case that involved the national flag. "I gave up the chief minister's post after a court convicted me. In this (Ayodhya) case, the trial is yet to begin. The charges are yet to be proved," she said, adding that the most of a minister was too small for her. Also Read | Arun Jaitley rules out Uma Bharti resignation When asked to comment on BJP veteran LK Advani's remark that the demolition of the mosque was the "saddest" day in his life, the minister said, "I will never comment on what Advani ji said. I can speak for myself. This country relates to cow, Ganga, Ram, the tricolour. I will sacrifice life if I see insult to any of these."
