Lucknow: Defending his decision to order firing on karsevaks in Ayodhya, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday said to preserve the unity and integrity of the country even the death of 30 persons would not have perturbed him. Mulayam said when he tried to justify his action, BJP termed him as the “murderer of humanity” but asked how would he have upheld his position as the Chief Minister had he not ordered firing on the karsevaks insisting on building a Ram temple at the disputed site.

Speaking at a book release function, he also asked had he not ordered firing “what would have the Muslim population thought”. Sixteen karsavaks were killed in police firing in 1990 when the Ram temple movement was at its peak. On the VHP’s call, a lakh of karsevaks from across the country had assembled in Ayodhya for the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri mosque site.

Mulayam said wherever he went after the Ayodhya incident, he was always attacked with stones and some even fired at him. Earlier in January, Mulayam had said that he “felt sad” about having ordered firing on karsewaks in Ayodhya but it was necessary to save the religious place.