National

'Dialogue should be the mechanism'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 28. Dialogue, according to the Archbishop of the Delhi Diocese, Vincent Concessao, and the Shankaracharya of Gowardhan Peeth, Adhokshanand, should be the mechanism through which contentious issues are resolved.

While Archbishop Concessao favoured dialogue to resolve the Ayodhya issue, Swami Adhokshanand said it would be preferable, but might not be possible as ownership of land was a question that needed to be addressed in this particular case.

Coming together here today to issue a joint statement demanding punitive action against all those guilty of "vandalism and terrorism of any kind'', the Archbishop and the Shankaracharya said "those who have done it in the name of propagating Hindutva have rather denigrated the tolerance-oriented Sanatan Dharam''.

On the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act, they said that "it would be detrimental to the interests of the minorities already under attack and pressure from some fundamentalist quarters''.

Referring to the recent RSS resolution in Bangalore asking Muslims to earn the goodwill of the majority community, Swami Adhokshanand said, "no organisation is authorised to issue such statements''. For his part, the Archbishop stressed the need for goodwill among all communities. "The rights of every citizen of the country have been guaranteed by the Constitution and are not dependent upon the numerical strength of any one community,'' he said.

About the recent talks between the RSS and some Christian organisations, the Archbishop said they should be held in a transparent manner. As for the absence of the Catholic Church in the recent rounds of dialogue, he said: "It is happening at various levels and at the initiative of different people. It is a long process and patience is needed for any dialogue to succeed.''

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