A bitter row in India over the razing of a mosque by Hindu fanatics in 1992 was taken up Monday in the upper house of parliament, where the Hindu nationalist-led government is in a minority.
Pranab Mukherjee, senior leader of the main opposition Congress party, accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of "protecting" three cabinet ministers implicated in the mosque's destruction in the northern town of Ayodhya eight years ago.
Mukherjee said the three ministers should have been sacked immediately after being cited by a federal investigation for inciting a Hindu fundamentalist mob to destroy the Babri mosque.
"A clear message has to go out from parliament that there cannot be any compromise on the secular character of the country which is a basic feature of the Indian constitution," said Mukherjee.
Last week, Vajpayee's coalition government easily defeated an opposition-sponsored censure motion on the Ayodhya issue in the Lok Sabha, or lower house, by 291 votes to 179.
The debate in the upper house may be followed by a similar vote, but the result would not carry the same weight as a vote in the Lok Sabha -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
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