by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Ayodhya : Newly elected Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje on Monday visited the make-shift temple of ‘Ram Lalla’ here in Uttar Pradesh and said that the dream of billions for a grand Ram temple here will soon be a reality.
The former judge, who also served as governor of Himachal Pradesh, also offered prayers at the fabled Hanumangarhi temple.
Later in the day, he was scheduled to hold wide-ranging meetings with the temple priests and office bearers of the Ramjanma Bhoomi Nyas, a VHP official said.
Kokje would also visit the ‘Karyasewakpuram’ — the place where stone carvings were underway for the last many years, in anticipation of construction of the Ram temple.
On Sunday, before leaving for Faizabad, the VHP chief told reporters in Lucknow that many Muslims were also in favour of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site.
He also said that before starting work in his new capacity as the head of the Hindu outfit, he wanted to pay obeisance to ‘Ram Lalla’ and that is why he was visiting Ayodhya.
The 79-year-old leader also said that he would soon be holding deliberations with saints from all across the country and would like to take the Ram temple movement forward.
He also expressed hope that the verdict for Ram temple would soon be pronounced in favour of the Hindu claimants.
Calling for mutual dialogue and understanding to thrash out the problem he, however, rued that the litigants were “outsiders” who had no stakes in the decades-old matter.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Supreme Court was on Friday told that a mosque will remain a place of worship even after it has been desecrated and destroyed through a “barbaric act.”
“A mosque will remain a place of worship even after it has been destroyed,” senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan told the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, hearing a batch of cross petitions challenging a 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit.
“It is quite a different matter to say that an area has been acquired and quite another to say mosque is not a mosque forever,” Dhavan said.
Dhavan appeared for the main petitioner, Mohammad Siddiqui, now being represented by legal heirs.
The bench is hearing arguments on the plea to revisit 1994 top court judgment which had said that the mosque was not was not an essential part of Islamic religious practice and that namaz could be offered anywhere, even in open places.
Describing the December 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid as a “barbaric act”, Dhavan said: “What was desecrated was a mosque and what court is being asked to is to protect the idols (of Ram Lalla).”
Telling the court that the government can acquire the place of worship, Dhavan said: “It is abundantly clear that a mosque should be treated as equal any temple” and “Ramjanmabhoomiu is equal to mosque”.
Referring to “two powerful Rath Yatras” led by senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, Dhavan told the bench that “there was strident, calculated and deliberate attempt to destroy Babri Masjid”.
Senior counsel K. Parasaran, appearing on the other side, said that the 1994 top court observation that a mosque was not an essential part of Islamic religious practice and namaz could be offered anywhere was in the context of acquisition proceedings.
At this, the bench said that if it decides to revisit the 1994 judgment, then it would be on the principle whether mosque was an integral part of Islamic religious practice.
In the last hearing of the matter on March 14, Dhavan had told the court that if the positrion in the 1994 judgement was to accepted then except for Makkah, Madinah and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, rest of the mosques will be of no consequence to Muslims.
On the next hearing on April 5, Dhavan will address the court on what mosque means to Islam.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking U-turns on promises made ahead of the May 2014 Lok Sabha polls, including construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, and said his government had failed to meet people’s aspirations in four years.
In a four-page letter to the Prime Minister, Togadia raised issues ranging from the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to the ban on cow slaughter, repeal of Article 370 and 35A related to Jammu and Kashmir from the Constitution, Uniform Civil Code, and issues related to farmers and labourers.
He warned the government about what he said was “rising discontent” among the people, especially those affiliated to the Sangh Parivar.
Addressing a press conference here, the VHP leader reminded Modi of promises in the run-up to the last Lok Sabha polls and said selling big dreams was not enough.
“Nation-building is based on truth of the work that has to be seen on the ground,” he said.
“These questions are not just posed by an individual but lakhs of people associated with us through the ideology. They are baffled; and now they are upset because not just the government led by you is not seen doing anything on the ideological, socio-political and economic issues but also on many issues, there is a U-turn.
“It has hurt the people associated with the (Hindutva) ideology. The political power centres are seen deviating from that very ideology,” Togadia said.
“The BJP came to power based on these promises as the people believed you will fulfil these promises… what happened to those promises. They are still unfulfilled.”
He reminded the Prime Minister that the Bharatiya Janata Party at its conclave in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh had adopted a resolution for the construction of the Ram temple through a law made by Parliament.
He cautioned that time and tide don’t wait for anybody.
“In fact, time has been changing. The election results in Gujarat and bypolls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and now Uttar Pradesh, are the indicators,” he said.
Taking a dig at Modi, the VHP leader said there was no point blaming previous governments and political parties for the situation prevailing now in the country after enjoying power for nearly four years.
He, however, said it was never too late and sought time from Modi to discuss the issues he had raised, calling Modi his “Mota Bhai” (elder brother).
Togadia escaped unhurt in a road accident near Surat this month and voiced suspicion that it was an attempt to kill him.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
By Kushagra Dixit and V.S. Chandrasekar,
New Delhi : Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is of late involved in mediation on the Ayodhya issue, says the best solution to the festering Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is an out-of-court settlement under which the Muslims gift the land to the Hindus for building a grand Ram Temple.
The 61-year-old spiritual leader, who met leaders of both Sunni and Shia sects of the Muslim community recently, also says that he is not in touch with the government — and that it has nothing to do with his efforts.
Ravi Shankar, who has a global following, denies vehemently that he talked of “bloodshed” in case the Supreme Court rules the title dispute in favour of one community or the other.
“Because it’s Lord Ram’s birthplace, there is such a strong feeling connected with the place. And since it is not that important place for Muslims and (is) also in a place where there is conflict, namaaz is not acceptable. Anyway, it is not going to serve the purpose; and when it is not serving the purpose of the other community (Muslims), then, it should be gifted,” he told IANS in an interview.
Ravi Shankar said that if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Mandir then there will be heartburn. If it rules for the Masjid, there will agian be heartburn.
“So, in either case, there will be discord in society. I want to create a win-win situation, where both communities come together and respect for each is restored, where respect of each is honoured. That is the formula we are suggesting… why not do it?” he said.
The spiritual leader said he was hopeful that an out-of-court settlement could be reached because he has been talking to people in both the communities, and they both agree that there should be a settlement.
“On that only (was) the initiative mooted. It’s not that I jumped into it suddenly,” he said.
Asked if there were any deadlines for finding an amicable solution ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said, “No such deadline. I am just saying what would be the best for both communities. Nothing to do with elections, not at all. Only an amicable solution.”
Ravi Shankar acknowledged that the temple dispute was a polarising factor all over India and that is why there was a need for all communities to come together.
“It is more relevant to come together and build bridges — and this initiative will build bridges,” he said.
Asked about his meetings with leaders of the Shia and Sunni sects of the Muslim community, Ravi Shankar said that both the sects agree that they should settle the matter outside court.
“There is already a Shri Ram Temple existing there (at the disputed site). They all know that it cannot be removed. So, we should sit and talk,” he said.
Sunni scholar Maulana Salman Nadwi was expelled from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on February 10 after he backed Ravi Shankar’s formula following a meeting with him — along with Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board chief Zufar Farooqui — at the Art of Living Bengaluru ashram. Ravi Shankar met Nadwi again in February in Lucknow.
On March 6, Ravi Shankar wrote to AIMPLB proposing an amicable solution where Muslims would gift the entire 2.77 acres of the disputed site to Hindus as a goodwill gesture and, in turn, Hindus would gift five acres of land near the site, to build a bigger mosque. The AIMPLB, however, had rejected Ravi Shankar’s proposal.
In a letter to the president and members of AIMPLB on March 6, Ravi Shankar spoke of “four options before the country” to resolve the dispute and discussed the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court’s verdict favouring one community over the other.
Referring to the first possibility of the court declaring that the site be given to the Hindus based on archaeological evidence that the temple existed long before the Masjid, Ravi Shankar said Muslims would have serious apprehensions about the legal system and lose faith in the judiciary. This could also lead to Muslim youth taking to violence.
Even though the Muslim Personal Law Board and other community leaders say that they will accept the verdict, in the long run the feeling that the court has done injustice will prevail for years.
If the Hindus lose the case and the land is gifted to Muslims for re-construction of the Babri Masjid, it would cause huge communal disturbance all over the country. “Winning this one acre of land, they would, however, permanently lose the goodwill of the majority community,” he said.
Ravi Shankar talked about the Allahabad High Court judgement allowing both a temple and mosque to be built there being upheld, and the “fourth option” of a temple through legislation, and said in the letter to AIMPLB leaders that “in all the four options, whether through the court or through the government, the results will be devastating for the nation at large and the Muslim community in particular”.
“The best solution, according to me, is an out-of-court settlement in which Muslim bodies come forward and gift one acre of land to the Hindus who, in turn, gift acres of land nearby to the Muslims, to build a better mosque. It is a win-win situation in which Muslims will not only gain the goodwill of 1,000 million Hindus, but it will also put this issue to rest once and for all.
“A palak nama (plaque) will recognise that this temple has been built with the cooperation of both the Hindus and Muslims. It will put to rest the issue for future generations and coming centuries,” he said in the letter.
Asked about his reported remarks on bloodshed, Ravi Shankar said, “I have never said that. It’s a distortion. I said that we don’t want a conflict in this country like what I have seen in Syria.”
(Kushagra Dixit can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in and V.S Chandrasekar at chandru.v@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Maulana Salman Husaini Nadwi
Lucknow : A complaint was lodged against former All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Salman Husaini Nadwi here on Thursday for allegedly demanding a Rs 5,000 crore as bribe to get the Ayodhya dispute solved in favour of the Hindus, police said.
The complaint was filed in the Hasanganj police station by Ayodhya Sadbhavna Samiti’s (ASS) General Secretary Amarnath Mishra, who heads the ‘samjhauta varta prabhari’, and also accused Nadwi had sought 200 acres land and a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Nadwi was removed from the AIMPLB’s executive committee, at its recent meeting in Hyderabad, for seeking the construction of the Babri mosque away from the disputed site in Ayodhya and the board subsequently announced his “disassociation” from it.
Mishra, in his complaint, said that he had met Nadwi on February 5 and discussed with him ways to thrash out the long-standing dispute of the Ram Janmabhoomi. “Nadwi thereafter sought a written proposal in this regard and said that if Rs 5,000 crore, 200 acres of land and a Rajya Sabha seat is assured, he will take the matter forward within the AIMPLB and get the matter amicably settled in our favour,” he claimed.
He also said that the meeting was held at the Nadwa seminary in presence of Imam Council general secretary Haji Masroor Khan, who has endorsed the charges.
Police said they were probing the matter and appropriate action would be taken after that.
—IANS
