There are conspiracy theorists who believe that Narasimha Rao and his Sancho Panza, Home Minister S B Chavan, fell back on total inaction throughout the seven hours that the Babari Masjid was systematically pulled down because they were not averse to the BJP gaining in strength in the north to keep potential Congress challengers outside the playfield. Don’t forget, this was the very beginning of PVN’s prime ministerial innings.
Notice the paradox. There is a north-south divide within the Congress, but an unstated north-south rapport between the Congress and the BJP.
Part of this latter rapport had its roots in the caste divisions sharpened by the Mandal Commission report providing reservation in government jobs to ‘other backward castes’ or OBCs.
