The Hindu : Muslim board threatens to pull out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 07, 2002

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Muslim board threatens to pull out

NEW DELHI, MARCH 6. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board tonight threatened to pull out of the ongoing peace moves to end the Ayodhya impasse if the VHP `backs out' of the commitment given to the mediator, Kanchi Sankaracharya that it would abide by the court verdict regarding the disputed site.

``If the VHP goes against the commitment it had given to the Kanchi seer, then there is no point in our discussing the formula,'' the board convenor, S.Q.R. Ilyas told PTI.

He was reacting to the VHP senior vice-president, Acharya Giriraj Kishore's statement earlier in the day that the Ram Janambhoomi Trust has not given any commitment to abide by the court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute but only given an undertaking to maintain the status quo.

Mr. Ilyas said the Sankaracharya had assured them (board members) that the VHP had given him a commitment that they would abide by a court verdict on the disputed land.

``He (Sankaracharya) even showed us how despite being surrounded by a temple, a mosque can be built at the site in the event of our winning the case,'' he said.

``It was in that spirit that we agreed to consider the proposal,'' he said, adding an emergency meeting of the executive was called for the purpose on March 10 and the board today even began discussions on the issue with lawmakers, intellectuals and other leaders of the community.

``Either the Sankaracharya was misleading us or the VHP has backed out of its commitment,'' he said, adding the top brass of the board would be meeting here tomorrow to discuss the change in the VHP's stand.

Under the formula proposed by the Kanchi seer, Jayendra Saraswathi, the VHP would construct the Ram temple outside the area where the Babri Masjid stood before its demolition, till the court gave a final verdict on the disputed site.

The proposal was made by the Pontiff during a meeting he had with an 11-member board delegation led by its general secretary, Syed Nizamuddin yesterday.

According to Mr. Ilyas, the Sankaracharya had told the delegation that the VHP has agreed to even construct a boundary wall outside the Masjid area before beginning the construction of the temple.

Earlier today, the VHP leader, Acharya Giriraj Kishore had told a press conference, ``we have not given any undertaking that we will abide by any verdict given by the court. We have said that the status quo will be maintained.''

While sticking to the undertaking that the status quo would be maintained, he said, ``at no cost will the Babri mosque be allowed to be rebuilt at the disputed site. For all practical purposes, it was a temple of Ram Lalla. It is and it will remain so.''

Asked what would be the VHP's response if the court ruled in favour of Muslims, he said, ``the court verdict cannot be against history. It was on the court's orders that the temple's locks were opened and there are court orders that uninterrupted `puja' be allowed at the disputed site.'' _ PTI

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