Ayodhya dispute: RSS, BJP welcome SC’s suggestion

Coimbatore, March 21
The Rashtriya Swayamsewal Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Tuesday that they welcomed the Supreme Court’s suggestion for a negotiated settlement to the Ayodhya dispute.
“We welcome the suggestion of Supreme Court. RSS always supported a settlement outside the court or a legislation to solve the sensitive issue,” RSS Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale told reporters here.
The top RSS brass is here to attend a three-day meeting of its highest decision-making body, Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, which concluded on Tuesday.
Hosabale was responding to a question on the suggestion by the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar that such religious issues could be solved through negotiations and its offer to mediate for arriving at an amicable settlement.
He said although the RSS was not directly involved in the litigation, it would support any decision taken by the ‘Dharma Sansad’, which spearheaded the Ram Janambhumi movement.
“It (the Ram temple issue) is to be decided by the Dharam Sansad as they are the people who organised the entire Ram Janambhumi movement and the parties who went to the court. The RSS will not decide.”
“The RSS will go by the Dharam Sansad’s decision. The issue should be settled at the earliest and a grand temple should be erected through the involvement of all Indians,” he added.
RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya said that a Ram temple at Ayodhya should be built “either through dialogue or through a legislation”.
The apex court’s suggestion came after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy sought an urgent hearing on the matter.
The court said such religious issues could be solved through negotiations and that the CJI was ready to take up the task of mediating to arrive at an amicable settlement.
On February 26 last year, the Supreme Court had allowed Swamy to intervene in the pending matters relating to the Ayodhya title dispute with his plea seeking construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished disputed structure.
BJP welcomes SC advice
The BJP welcomed the Supreme Court’s suggestion of an out-of-court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute, and said aggrieved parties should keep in mind its “sensitivity” while discussing the matter.
“The Supreme Court has called for an out-of-court settlement between the aggrieved parties. The parties should resolve the issue amicably by talking to each other.
“We welcome this step and I believe they should have talks outside the court,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.
The party will study in detail the observations made by the apex court, which has said the issue is sensitive and sentimental and is related to faith of millions of people, he said.
Patra suggested that aggrieved parties should talk while keeping in mind the “sensitivity” of the issue.
Ram temple should be built at his birthplace: Swamy
Swamy however suggested that the temple should be built at Ram Janambhoomi (birthplace of Ram) while the mosque should be on the other side of Sarayu river to resolve the Ayodhya issue.
“We were always ready. Mandir and Masjid should be built but Masjid should be built on other side of Sarayu river. The Ram Janambhoomi should be entirely for Ram Mandir,” he told reporters here.
His response came after the Supreme Court said on Tuesday the Ayodhya dispute must be settled amicably and all parties must hold discussion out of court to find an amicable solution.
Swamy argued that in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations, mosque is regarded as the place where ‘Namaaz’ (prayer) is offered and prayer can be offered at any place.
“My suggestion is that Masjid be built on other side of the Sarayu river and Ram Janambhoomi be handed over for Ram Temple. We cannot change the birthplace of Ram, but Masjid can be made anywhere,” he said.
The BJP leader said he wanted the apex court to suggest the name of a mediator on the issue and hoped that the decision in this regard would be made by March 31.

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