The Hindu : Sonia for all-party meet on Ayodhya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 23, 2002

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Sonia for all-party meet on Ayodhya
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 22. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has written to the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting on the Ayodhya issue. She has drawn Atal Behari Vajpayee's attention to the concern and anxiety throughout the country , following the deadline announced by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

In her letter, Ms. Gandhi referred to the convergence of opinion and similarity of thought among ``sane el ements,'' that the Ayodhya issue should be left to the ``courts to give a final verdict''.

Ms. Gandhi's letter is significant as it comes on the day she travelled to Dighauri village in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh, to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of the Shankaracharya of Dwaraka, Swami Swaroopanand.

The Congress also indicated that it wanted the Government to take some firm pre-emptive steps in the light of the threat from the VHP. It also made it clear that the main reason for asking for all-party meeting on the issue was because `` we doubt the commitment of this Government and the BJP, through such an exercise we want to bind them,'' said the party spokesperson, Jaipal Reddy. ``Our view is that a solution to the Ayodhya issue lies through a court decision'' he added.

The Congress also refused to accept Mr. Vajpayee's explanation on his reported remark on the Muslim vote..

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