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Ayodhya: 6 December 1992
Rao, P. V. Narasimha
318 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2006
15 people are currently reading
397 people want to read
About the author
P.V. Narasimha Rao
8 books24 followersPamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India (1991–1996). His ascendancy to the prime ministership was politically significant in that he was the first holder of this office from non-Hindi-speaking south India. He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India. Rao who held the Industries portfolio was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Raj as this came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He is often referred to as the "Father of Indian Economic Reforms". Future prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh continued the economic reform policies pioneered by Rao's government. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the License Raj, reversing the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhi's government. He employed Dr. Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister to embark on historic economic transition. With Rao's mandate, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched India's globalisation angle of the reforms that implemented the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies to rescue the almost bankrupt nation from economic collapse. Rao was also referred to as Chanakya for his ability to steer tough economic and political legislation through the parliament at a time when he headed a minority government.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 8, 2020
I was 12, when the Babri Masjid demolition happened, changing the course of Indian history forever. The tense moments that prevailed before and after the unforgettable day are still afresh in my mind. As a pre-teen I had very limited understanding of the context or the happenings then. In the pre-cable tv era, I remember watching a propaganda video in my father's office and having sleepless nights. The macabre pictures of human skulls floating among with hibiscus flower in the river of Ayodhya are still vivid. Back home, far from the place of action, I found myself joining the chorus that supported Advani's rathyatra, 'ek dhakka aaur do..' or 'tel lagao dabur ka,…..'
Sigh!!! What a disgrace!
As I was reading Advani's autobiography, I felt that his recounting of the Ayodhya movement was severely lopsided and somehow underplayed. Not only that he didn't cover the real motif of his actions, but also he had conveniently ignored the aftermath of the act, just alluding his helplessness and regret of the demolition itself, proclaiming Dec 6 1992 as 'the saddest day of my life'. Genuine?
Coincidentally, I found this book by Narasihma Rao, who I presumed would provide me the view from opposing camp. The book appeared as a justification of inaction by Rao, the then prime minister in charge, who was accused by many to be a complicit.
Many of my friends, who lean right, hail Rao as the best prime-minister of India till date. The reason they give in public - Economic liberalization of 1991. But the real reason they love him - because the Babri Masjid met its inevitable fate in his watch. The deliberate inaction helped the kar sevaks demolish the controversial structure, bringing an end to a historic dispute.
Rao in this book provides myriad justifications for his helplessness, "my only fault is that I trusted the state government." Oh ! Come on.
Rao was an erudite leader. Very well-read and measured in talking. Probably, we will never know his true intentions. In this book , he had narrated the historical context and the build-up to the demolition of the disputed structure of Babri Masjid. However, the book is very boringly written making it hard to read. Could act as a reference for scholars who would study this sad, yet important aspect of Indian history.
Sigh!!! What a disgrace!
As I was reading Advani's autobiography, I felt that his recounting of the Ayodhya movement was severely lopsided and somehow underplayed. Not only that he didn't cover the real motif of his actions, but also he had conveniently ignored the aftermath of the act, just alluding his helplessness and regret of the demolition itself, proclaiming Dec 6 1992 as 'the saddest day of my life'. Genuine?
Coincidentally, I found this book by Narasihma Rao, who I presumed would provide me the view from opposing camp. The book appeared as a justification of inaction by Rao, the then prime minister in charge, who was accused by many to be a complicit.
Many of my friends, who lean right, hail Rao as the best prime-minister of India till date. The reason they give in public - Economic liberalization of 1991. But the real reason they love him - because the Babri Masjid met its inevitable fate in his watch. The deliberate inaction helped the kar sevaks demolish the controversial structure, bringing an end to a historic dispute.
Rao in this book provides myriad justifications for his helplessness, "my only fault is that I trusted the state government." Oh ! Come on.
Rao was an erudite leader. Very well-read and measured in talking. Probably, we will never know his true intentions. In this book , he had narrated the historical context and the build-up to the demolition of the disputed structure of Babri Masjid. However, the book is very boringly written making it hard to read. Could act as a reference for scholars who would study this sad, yet important aspect of Indian history.
November 20, 2019
This book written by our ex Prime Minister Shri P V Narasimha Rao does a great job of depicting the events leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. The fact that Shri Narasimha Rao ji wanted the book published after his death is commendable. He has been accused on quite a few times of not keeping the law and order situation in check, but instead of publishing the book while he was alive and trying to clear his name, the fact that he chose to get the book published later adds to the fact that his actions were propelled most by the duties and responsibilities befitting a Prime Minister. The book depicts the intricacies and complexities and the multitude of stakeholders involved in the issue and the fact that apart from pure religious sentiments there were social/political sentiments at play all along as well. The issue always has been a complex one and thankfully today in 2019, we have a just solution.
One must read the book to understand the history of the issue, the events leading upto 6th Dec, 1992 and the roles played by various stakeholders and to get a Prime Minister's account of one of the most defining events of his Prime Ministership.
One must read the book to understand the history of the issue, the events leading upto 6th Dec, 1992 and the roles played by various stakeholders and to get a Prime Minister's account of one of the most defining events of his Prime Ministership.
July 25, 2020
A Prime Minister's last statement on what transpired that fateful and the defence of his legacy. Ex-PM Rao writes about the dispute and the days leading up to the demolition of Babri masjid. This is a must read for someone who wants to understand the dispute and the legacy of PV Narasimha Rao.
The book also contains detailed appendices dealing with each point.
The book also contains detailed appendices dealing with each point.
May 13, 2013
After finding that the book is authored by P V Narasimha Rao, the Prime Minister of India when Ayodhya's debacle happened, not many will take this book seriously. And there are enough reasons to doubt the book's integrity. An astute politician like PV Rao, writing about the most horrifying incident of his tenure, can never be trusted. It easily could be passed, thinking that the book is an effort to save the face in public and endorse the motive of one's political party. So the first impression that comes, is to avoid the book. But thankfully I gave a chance to this book which has provided a lot of information regarding this heinous act of fanatics.
Mr Rao has taken the task of a chronicler seriously and has given a very detailed account of the whole dispute. For a better understanding of the complex matter, he has given a chronological list of major events starting from early sixteenth century i.e. when Babri Masjid was built in Ayodhya. His main account starts from the chilling and unfortunate night of 23 December 1949, when a group of men had surreptitiously placed idol of Lord Ram in the premises of Mosque. This single act set in motion a chain of events that were to become most contentious in independent India. This incident gave our country many riots (a list is provided in the book, though it may not be exhaustive), stalled parliament for many years, resulted in rise of many pro-Hindu organizations threatening the secular environment (BJP's tally of seats in parliament rose from 2 to 88 during late 80's) and has dented the image of our country internationally.
The book has provided many Government documents to clarify Rao's point of view. Many court proceedings, judgements as well as many official letters of importance have been published providing a rich literature to understand the issue. Because my knowledge about Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid issue is limited, I will refrain myself from concluding any point but will say that the book contains enough matter to make it a good read. Mr Rao has done a commendable job till the point he explains, why did he not opt to impose President's rule in Uttar Pradesh, when the atmosphere of the state had gone really tense. We can not deny any political motive behind his own decision but have to give him credit that he appreciated actions of the state Government of UP under Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was Chief Minister before Kalyan Singh(under whose regime Babri Masjid was demolished).
In any case, we can not expect much liberty to be given to a politician, even if he had been a Prime Minister. So considering that he acted under so many constraints and that he did not use the book to praise Gandhi family, as is a wont of Congress politician, I really felt glad to read the book.
About the whole issue, I would like to quote the counsel of UP who replied to Supreme Court in utter disbelief after the debacle that, "I was misled by the party and my head hangs in shame". Indeed any proud citizen of India feels betrayed and his head hangs in shame!
Mr Rao has taken the task of a chronicler seriously and has given a very detailed account of the whole dispute. For a better understanding of the complex matter, he has given a chronological list of major events starting from early sixteenth century i.e. when Babri Masjid was built in Ayodhya. His main account starts from the chilling and unfortunate night of 23 December 1949, when a group of men had surreptitiously placed idol of Lord Ram in the premises of Mosque. This single act set in motion a chain of events that were to become most contentious in independent India. This incident gave our country many riots (a list is provided in the book, though it may not be exhaustive), stalled parliament for many years, resulted in rise of many pro-Hindu organizations threatening the secular environment (BJP's tally of seats in parliament rose from 2 to 88 during late 80's) and has dented the image of our country internationally.
The book has provided many Government documents to clarify Rao's point of view. Many court proceedings, judgements as well as many official letters of importance have been published providing a rich literature to understand the issue. Because my knowledge about Ram Janam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid issue is limited, I will refrain myself from concluding any point but will say that the book contains enough matter to make it a good read. Mr Rao has done a commendable job till the point he explains, why did he not opt to impose President's rule in Uttar Pradesh, when the atmosphere of the state had gone really tense. We can not deny any political motive behind his own decision but have to give him credit that he appreciated actions of the state Government of UP under Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was Chief Minister before Kalyan Singh(under whose regime Babri Masjid was demolished).
In any case, we can not expect much liberty to be given to a politician, even if he had been a Prime Minister. So considering that he acted under so many constraints and that he did not use the book to praise Gandhi family, as is a wont of Congress politician, I really felt glad to read the book.
About the whole issue, I would like to quote the counsel of UP who replied to Supreme Court in utter disbelief after the debacle that, "I was misled by the party and my head hangs in shame". Indeed any proud citizen of India feels betrayed and his head hangs in shame!
December 3, 2023
Ayodha 6 December 1992, V. Narasimha Rao
Generally, I write a review of a book when I have finished reading it. In this case, I took a gap, a momentary lapse into distancing myself from composing a response to the book after I completed it.
The reasons for doing so are twofold: First, I hold V. Narasimha Rao in high regard because in the dynastic politics of Congress, he is one leader, among handful others, who successfully established his political credentials. Second, my views concerning what transpired in Ayodha in December 1992 are extremely opinionated, driven by my political stance towards RSS-BJP-VHP. I believe them to be single-handedly responsible in disturbing and destroying the secular fabric of our country.
Inspired by these two points, I eagerly started reading ‘Ayodha 6 December 1992’ as I wanted to derive a better understanding of the political build-up to the Babri Mosque demolition.
Let me start by quoting a paragraph from the book:
“Initial reports from Ayodha in the beginning of the day on 6 December indicated an air of normalcy. About 70,000 persons had assembled in the Ram Katha Kunj for a public meeting with some 500 sandhus and sants gathered on the foundation terrace for performing Pooja. Everything seemed to be going according to the plan announced by the organizers for doing a symbolic kar seva and observing other formalities of kar seva not involving violating of the Court orders. As the crowd was being addressed by leaders of the BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal, roughly 150 persons in a sudden move broke through the cordon on the terrace, regrouped and started pelting stones at the police personnel. All happened a few minutes before noon and within a very little time, around a thousand persons broke into the RJB-BM (Ram Janma Bhoomi – Babri Mosque) structure. Around 12:20 p.m. about eighty persons had managed to climb onto the RJB-BM structure and started damaging the domes. At this time, the crowd inside the complex was around 25,000 with large numbers milling around outside. By 2:40 p.m. the crowd had increased to about 75,000.
The UP Police moved away as the kar sevaks scaled barricades and clambered on the domes of the mosque where saffron flags were hoisted. Then began a frenzied demolition with shovels, iron rods and pickaxes.” [p. 153-154]
In my opinion, the aforementioned passage succinctly summarizes the inaction, incompetent, and inept attitude of the leaders, lawmakers, and public administrators in impeding a crisis which was brewing in the civil society of India for quite a few years. Even a cursory reading of the initial few chapters creates the impression that RSS-BJP-VHP had willingly violated the orders of the court, subverted the sanctity of the law of the land to gain political mileage by obliterating the Babri Mosque. The newly elected Kalyan Singh government had no intention of protecting the disputed site. In the weeks leading to 6 December, Singh’s administration had loosened security measures, allowed Hindu Right wing groups to gather in Ayodha, and followed a clear plan to raze the structure to the ground.
What baffles me is that V. Narasimha Rao lacked the foresight to comprehend the plan of the opposition. Even if he did make sense of the impending doom, he did not act in the right manner. The book reads as a sad apology of a man who knows his mistakes. Publishing the book posthumously does not exonerate the leader who failed to institute strict measure to protect the rights of the minority. As time would tell, the demolition of the Babri Mosque led to large-scale riots in many parts of India. In response, the series of bomb blasts in Bombay would again claim innocent lives. After a decade, communal violence in Godra, Gujarat, brought back the memories of the dark days of December 1992.
The 2019 Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodha issue, in a rather contentious manner, attempts to close the chapter. It is the RSS-BJP-VHP, however, who reaped the benefits again, as the Hindu Right, backed by the verdict, secured an astounding victory in the ensuing General Elections of India. The ghost of V. Narasimha Rao shall haunt the annuals of history related to the RJB-BM dispute.
Generally, I write a review of a book when I have finished reading it. In this case, I took a gap, a momentary lapse into distancing myself from composing a response to the book after I completed it.
The reasons for doing so are twofold: First, I hold V. Narasimha Rao in high regard because in the dynastic politics of Congress, he is one leader, among handful others, who successfully established his political credentials. Second, my views concerning what transpired in Ayodha in December 1992 are extremely opinionated, driven by my political stance towards RSS-BJP-VHP. I believe them to be single-handedly responsible in disturbing and destroying the secular fabric of our country.
Inspired by these two points, I eagerly started reading ‘Ayodha 6 December 1992’ as I wanted to derive a better understanding of the political build-up to the Babri Mosque demolition.
Let me start by quoting a paragraph from the book:
“Initial reports from Ayodha in the beginning of the day on 6 December indicated an air of normalcy. About 70,000 persons had assembled in the Ram Katha Kunj for a public meeting with some 500 sandhus and sants gathered on the foundation terrace for performing Pooja. Everything seemed to be going according to the plan announced by the organizers for doing a symbolic kar seva and observing other formalities of kar seva not involving violating of the Court orders. As the crowd was being addressed by leaders of the BJP, VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal, roughly 150 persons in a sudden move broke through the cordon on the terrace, regrouped and started pelting stones at the police personnel. All happened a few minutes before noon and within a very little time, around a thousand persons broke into the RJB-BM (Ram Janma Bhoomi – Babri Mosque) structure. Around 12:20 p.m. about eighty persons had managed to climb onto the RJB-BM structure and started damaging the domes. At this time, the crowd inside the complex was around 25,000 with large numbers milling around outside. By 2:40 p.m. the crowd had increased to about 75,000.
The UP Police moved away as the kar sevaks scaled barricades and clambered on the domes of the mosque where saffron flags were hoisted. Then began a frenzied demolition with shovels, iron rods and pickaxes.” [p. 153-154]
In my opinion, the aforementioned passage succinctly summarizes the inaction, incompetent, and inept attitude of the leaders, lawmakers, and public administrators in impeding a crisis which was brewing in the civil society of India for quite a few years. Even a cursory reading of the initial few chapters creates the impression that RSS-BJP-VHP had willingly violated the orders of the court, subverted the sanctity of the law of the land to gain political mileage by obliterating the Babri Mosque. The newly elected Kalyan Singh government had no intention of protecting the disputed site. In the weeks leading to 6 December, Singh’s administration had loosened security measures, allowed Hindu Right wing groups to gather in Ayodha, and followed a clear plan to raze the structure to the ground.
What baffles me is that V. Narasimha Rao lacked the foresight to comprehend the plan of the opposition. Even if he did make sense of the impending doom, he did not act in the right manner. The book reads as a sad apology of a man who knows his mistakes. Publishing the book posthumously does not exonerate the leader who failed to institute strict measure to protect the rights of the minority. As time would tell, the demolition of the Babri Mosque led to large-scale riots in many parts of India. In response, the series of bomb blasts in Bombay would again claim innocent lives. After a decade, communal violence in Godra, Gujarat, brought back the memories of the dark days of December 1992.
The 2019 Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodha issue, in a rather contentious manner, attempts to close the chapter. It is the RSS-BJP-VHP, however, who reaped the benefits again, as the Hindu Right, backed by the verdict, secured an astounding victory in the ensuing General Elections of India. The ghost of V. Narasimha Rao shall haunt the annuals of history related to the RJB-BM dispute.
December 21, 2025
Ayodhya, 6 December 1992 was authored by Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao, aptly mentioned as the Prime Minister in the eye of the storm. He did not publish this book in his life time, which is an eyewitness account of things that happened and his role, perhaps waiting to release at a distance of as many several years as possible from the event to keep it immune to emotional pressures of raw passions. This book is published posthumously.
There is so much information on this aspect and perhaps several books and eye witness accounts, but probably the late author would have felt it necessary to place some facts and records before the public to justify his actions or inactions, what somebody may call, and to vindicate himself.
The book's blurb mentions in the following lines that might be telling the purpose of the author writing this book.
" Many hold Rao responsible for not preventing the demolition while others accuse him of being a co-conspirator. In this tell-all account , Rao reveals what really transpired in the run up to the fateful day."
The book has close to 120 pages of Annexures for a text of 188 pages. It also included his intervention in Lok Sabha on 21st December, which discussed the failure of the state to protect the structure.
The book ends with a rather sad and hopeful ( or sceptical) declaration by the man, who was considered as the most erudite PM of India thus:
" It remains to be seen whether the future will indicate me in this regard; if it does, I shall, ofcourse, feel happy."
The book also contains issues he flagged about allowing the using of religious faith as an election issue. Seems to be a perfect question from author's point of view.
Readers can read the book and draw their own conclusions and decide to pass their judgement based on their understandings, or keep it reserved.
There is so much information on this aspect and perhaps several books and eye witness accounts, but probably the late author would have felt it necessary to place some facts and records before the public to justify his actions or inactions, what somebody may call, and to vindicate himself.
The book's blurb mentions in the following lines that might be telling the purpose of the author writing this book.
" Many hold Rao responsible for not preventing the demolition while others accuse him of being a co-conspirator. In this tell-all account , Rao reveals what really transpired in the run up to the fateful day."
The book has close to 120 pages of Annexures for a text of 188 pages. It also included his intervention in Lok Sabha on 21st December, which discussed the failure of the state to protect the structure.
The book ends with a rather sad and hopeful ( or sceptical) declaration by the man, who was considered as the most erudite PM of India thus:
" It remains to be seen whether the future will indicate me in this regard; if it does, I shall, ofcourse, feel happy."
The book also contains issues he flagged about allowing the using of religious faith as an election issue. Seems to be a perfect question from author's point of view.
Readers can read the book and draw their own conclusions and decide to pass their judgement based on their understandings, or keep it reserved.
June 15, 2021
Written by the former Prime Minister of India, the books explains the events and politics leading to the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992 by religious extremists. As Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao was often accused of callousness in dealing with the RJM-BM issue, which claimed many thousands of lives.
In this book, he argues that even being the most powerful person in India at the time, he was virtually helpless due to constitutional constraints and political considerations. In last chapter, he warns against creeping religious fanatasicm & communalism in India's politics and dangers to secular structure of India.
I have to add that P V Narasimha Rao is an articulate and erudite writer.
In this book, he argues that even being the most powerful person in India at the time, he was virtually helpless due to constitutional constraints and political considerations. In last chapter, he warns against creeping religious fanatasicm & communalism in India's politics and dangers to secular structure of India.
I have to add that P V Narasimha Rao is an articulate and erudite writer.
March 29, 2020
The book presents the account of the author, P.V.Narashimarao, the Prime Minister of India at the time of demolition of the Babri Masjid. The said account is supported by documentary evidence which forms annexures to the book. However the book mainly is a justification of the actions or inactions of Mr. Rao and fails you present a vivid picture of the circumstances, then prevailing. Nonetheless, the book is an earnest attempt to present unbiased facts and a must read for a reader keen to study the long troubled history of Ayodhya.
December 27, 2017
The Ram Janma Bhoomi - Babri Masjid issue has changed the course of Indian Politics like no other issue has or probably will. Though the events of 6th Dec 1992 is what people remember as the inflection point in India's history, it is more a culmination of events that started on 23rd of Dec 1948. Successive governments have always realised the potential and the potency of the matter and have always used it for their political gains. The author, PVNR who was the PM when the event took place chronicles the history of the dispute and what was done or not done to resolve the issue. The book references and quotes a large amount of material from Government files and also gives his perspective of the events and the players who were responsible for the events that took place on that fateful day. Being a member of one political party he conveniently lays the blame on another party to show his party in favourable light. However the issue is far more complex and layers of complexity have been added due to the passage of time. Hopefully the current and future political leadership would find a solution within or outside the Courts.
If one were to keep away the biases of the author the material referenced and quoted are worth reading for any student of history.
If one were to keep away the biases of the author the material referenced and quoted are worth reading for any student of history.
August 31, 2020
This book has been written about , arguably , one of the most controversial topics of Indian political history. If that wasn’t enough of an incentive, it’s been written by the person who was in the eye of the storm- the. prime minster PV Narsimha Rao. Steeped with facts, it made me question everything I thought I knew for a fact. It’s well written and covers almost all aspects of the dispute. For the particularly interested, I would recommend reading the final judgment passed by the Supreme Court of India in November 2019 on the issue. The judgment and book when contrasted , will bring to light the biases ingrained in our system.
December 13, 2015
takes you through the turning point of india, with sound explanation of what actions/inaction were choosen at critical juncture and why
May 26, 2016
one of my personal favorites of all time! A well written and carefully drafted book on one of the most important incidents in Indian history!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews