Friday, Jun 13, 2003
Friday, Jun 13, 2003 |
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By Our Special Correspondent
For the VHP, the issue has become all the more urgent with Ramchandra Paramhans, the over 90-year-old `sant' who is a VHP camp follower and has been at the forefront of the demand for a Ram temple at the disputed site, suffering a major heart attack in Ayodhya early this morning. The VHP leader, Giriraj Kishore, said here that the Paramhans' only ambition in life was seeing a Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya during his lifetime. Acharya Kishore also confirmed that the Paramhans' had, on June 3, met the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and had come back "dejected". "But that was 10 days ago," he said. It is learnt from other sources that at the meeting the VHP leaders emphasised the need for early legislation to resolve the tangle, but that the BJP, which is leading the NDA Government, was unable to move any legislation as Ayodhya was not part of the NDA agenda. In fact, one plan, it seems, is to get a private member resolution moved in the monsoon session of Parliament indicating that the disputed site in Ayodhya should be given for the construction of the Ram temple and then see how the NDA partners and the Opposition react. A section of the BJP feels that the Congress would then be forced to take a position on the resolution and either way it could help the BJP electorally. A positive response from the Congress would mean resolution of the issue which would help the BJP and a negative attitude would help the party to again portray the Congress as "anti-Hindu". The other piece in the continuing story is that Swami Madhavanand Saraswati, founder of the Vishwa Kalyan Parishad, Allahabad, said here that for the first time a statement of a religious leader of the stature of the Kanchi Acharya had been contested by Muslim leaders who disputed his claim that many Muslims or a majority of them were willing to settle the Ayodhya dispute in favour of the VHP point of view. "Either the Kanchi seer should prove that he has the word of Muslims over the Ayodhya dispute either on document or tape, otherwise he should step down," Swami Saraswati said here at a joint conference with Sufi Sayyed Mohammed Jilani Qattal, president of the World Sufi Council. Swami Saraswati said that he was not against the Kanchi Acharya, but when the latter's statement itself had been disputed, the "high seat", which is held in esteem, had been tarnished. He said the dispute could be resolved "within 90 minutes" provided the two parties who moved the court come together and agree to resolve the issue based on facts. "It is not the site that is disputed but the issue. If both parties sit together then there could be progress on how to go about the task," he said. On the other hand, Mr. Qattal said Muslims were not against the construction of the temple. The community would abide by the court verdict. He said the Ayodhya issue gained momentum only when elections were round the corner and blamed the politicians for complicating the issue.
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