22 references to Atal,none flattering

There are at least 22 references to Vajpayee in the over 1029-page report but the most critical ones are in Chapter 14,titled Conclusions.

The Commission is unable to hold even these pseudo moderates innocent of any wrongdoing. It cannot be assumed even for a moment that L K Advani,A B Vajpayee or M M Joshi did not know the designs of the Sangh Parivar, Justice M S Liberhan writes on page 942.

The report goes on to say that former party ideologue K Govindacharyas description of Vajpayee as BJPs mukhauta mask could in fact be applied to all the three leaders together. It says that though these three were the public face of the organization,they hardly were in control of the situation.

On one hand,the leaders like A B Vajpayee,Murli Manohar Joshi and L K Advani,who are the undeniable public face and leaders of the BJP and thus,of the Parivar,constantly protested their innocence and denounced the events of December 1992. On the other hand,it stands established beyond doubt that the events of the day were neither spontaneous nor unplanned nor an unforeseen overflowing of the peoples emotions.

These people,who may be called pseudo moderates could not have defied the mandate of the Sangh Parivar,and more specifically the diktats of the RSS,without having bowed out of public life as leaders of the BJP. They were not in control of the RSS and had absolutely no influence over the direction of they had been told to follow, the report says.

The much repeated and much denied remarks attributed to Govindacharya who called Vajpayee a mukhotaor a mask may be more appropriately applied to the BJPs top leadership at the time collectively, it says.

The report says that even though these leaders were not completely in charge of the situation,they could not however be given the benefit of the doubt and exonerated of culpability.

In other references,the report says,

amp;149; On page 447: The orchestration and management of the political ethos and circumstances was managed by the RSS,L K Advani,A B Vajpayee,other members of the RSS and the BJP and notably Kalyan Singh,K Sudershan,H V Sheshadri and Govindacharya.

amp;149; On page 580: BJP leaders,including Advani and Vajpayee,had been supporting the construction movement of the temple overtly since 1984 and covertly ever since its inception.

amp;149; On page 582: In the context of BJP proclaiming that it had no control of the karsevaks,the report says that that it could not be denied that almost all leaders of BJP,VHP and other organizations in the Sangh Parivar,used to be or are current members of the RSS. So much so that even A B Vajpayee,even while he was the PM,proclaimed that he is first a swayamsevak and thereafter the PM.

amp;149; On page 586: It the movement had all the makings of a political campaign with charismatic leaders like L K Advani,M M Joshi and A B Vajpayee leading it.:

amp;149; On page 804: The political sic,RSS and other leaders were visibly delighted at the unfolding events even though L K Advani and A B Vajpayee made contradictory and superficial statements.

amp;149; On page 660: Vajpayee told the VHP rally of April 4,1991 that the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi was necessary because national honour had to be restored.