Outlook outs Vajpayee

Outlook expose of a CD that contains Vajpayee's speech on the eve of the Babri Masjid demolition.

One may deduce that the BJP leaders were prepared for an apocalyptic event at Ayodhya. Sections of the parivar wanted the mosque down. Perhaps the BJP leaders were prepared for events spinning out of control. Perhaps they thought this would lead to a great Hindu awakening. But they were shrewd enough to know this would also tie them in legal complications. So there was a Plan B, a great backup scheme. One leader, a fine parliamentarian with cross-party ties, would be spared the mud that would rise at Ayodhya. In the event of assuming high office, he would be the chosen one. As it happened, Vajpayee was eventually "chosen" by Advani, the man who led the entire Ram movement. It is a compulsive conspiracy theory. But there is not enough hard evidence to prove it conclusively. On the other hand, the evidence so far does not disprove it either. The Ayodhya imbroglio remains as open-ended and oblique as many of Vajpayee's statements.

Well, Vajpayee's statements in general are not that open-ended or oblique. For instance, see the Frontline cover story: The Real Vajpayee, and in particular AG Noorani's excellent article: The man behind the image.

Here's a related post.