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
Hyderabad : The AIMPLB, an apex body of Indian Muslims, is likely to expel its executive member, Maulana Syed Salman Hussaini Nadvi, for favouring handing over disputed land in Ayodhya, where Babri Masjid once stood, for the construction of Ram temple.
Taking strong exception to the proposal, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has formed a four-member committee to take disciplinary action against Nadvi, an eminent cleric who mooted the proposal during a meeting with spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The committee comprises AIMPLB President Rabey Hasani Nadvi, General Secretary Wali Rahmani and executive members Arshad Madani and Khalid Saifullah Rahmani and it is expected to take a decision on Sunday.
The deliberations at the three-day crucial plenary, which began here Friday, were dominated by the controversy.
Sources in AIMPLB said Salman Nadvi, who teaches at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, a leading seminary in Lucknow, may be expelled from the board for not only taking a stand in contravention of its traditional stand on Babri Masjid but also making allegations against the board’s leadership.
With the executive meeting on Friday pulling up Nadvi for his proposal, he stayed away from the plenary meeting on the second day and reportedly left Hyderabad. Earlier, talking to reporters, he alleged that two executive members Kamal Farooqi and S.Q.R. Ilyas humiliated him.
Salman Nadvi defended his formula saying this would ensure peace and communal harmony. He alleged that there is dictatorship in the board and few people are controlling it.
Talking to IANS on Saturday, Ilyas denied the allegations made by Salman Nadvi against him. “I initiated the discussion but all those who spoke opposed the proposal as it is the well-known stand of the board that the land of mosque can’t be sold, gifted or alienated. This is an attempt to malign the board,” he said.
Ilyas, who is convenor of the Babri Masjid committee of the board, said Nadvi should have raised any issue in the AIMPLB meeting before speaking publicly. He said Nadvi’s action had damaged the board’s reputation at a time when it is holding a crucial meeting here to discuss various important issues.
“If anybody has any issue, he may discuss it in the board. You can’t go and talk on behalf of the board. Mr Salman Nadvi is not an ordinary person. He is the executive member of the board. If he doesn’t agree with the board, let him resign and then do whatever he wants,” said Ilyas.
He also said that if the board failed to take action against Salman Nadvi, it would damage the image of the board.
Some members and special invitees, who did not want to be named, see a conspiracy behind Salman Nadvi’s proposal to create a divide in the board, which is a united platform of all Islamic schools of thought. They said he proposed the formula on the eve of the plenary to create confusion.
The board leaders held no media briefing of the deliberations on Saturday. However, a decision on Salman Nadvi is expected to be announced on Sunday, when the plenary will conclude with the passing of Hyderabad Declaration and a massive public meeting.
After the executive committee meeting on Friday night, the Board issued a statement to rule out compromise on the land in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, on which the Babri Masjid stood before it was demolished by a mob December 6, 1992.A
The AIMPLB said that when a mosque is constructed, it remains a mosque always and it can’t be sold, exchanged, or alienated in any manner. It also said it will abide by the Supreme Court order, which is presently hearing the case.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Amit Shah
Ahmedabad : Latching on to Kapil Sibal’s statement in the Supreme Court for deferring hearing in the Ramjanambhoomi dispute till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Rahul Gandhi to clear the Congress stand on the Ram temple issue.
He accused the Congress of having “double standards” on the contentious issue and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other hand wanted an end to the matter as soon as possible.
“I appeal to the future Congress President — please clear your stand on the issue,” he said.
“On the one hand, temples are being visited (by Rahul Gandhi) ahead of elections. On the other hand, they are trying to delay hearing of the Ramjanmabhoomi case (in the Supreme Court). The Congress has double standards on the issue. They should clarify their stand,” Shah said.
He alleged that the Congress did not want the issue of the proposed Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to be resolved soon.
“The BJP demands that the case should be heard as soon as possible. The Supreme Court should give a judgment and a grand Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya,” Shah said.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the Ayodhya case, asked the apex court to hear the matter only in July 2019.
The Supreme Court will commence on February 8, 2018, the hearing on a batch of petitions which challenged a 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit that divided the disputed Babri Masjid site between the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram deity, and the Sunni Waqf Board.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : India entered into “saffron age” due to Ram Janmbhoomi movement and construction of a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya would begin next year in 2018, VHP leader Surendra Jain said on Saturday
Jain, the VHP’s joint General Secretary, was speaking here at a conference on the subject titled “The Ram Janmbhoomi Movement: A Renaissance” at NDMC convention centre in central Delhi.
“India entered into the saffron age because of Ram Janmbhoomi movement and is headed to become world’s superpower. The participation of 16 crore people during different stages of the movement made it world’s largest movement,” he said.
“This movement became a renaissance and invoking the pride of Hindus and country’s potential. The construction of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya will begin in 2018.”
Addressing the conference, VHP Spokesperson Vijay Shankar Tiwary said that this renaissance redefined the nationalism and established that India is known as a country of Maharana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji and not of Babar, Mahmud of Ghazni and Ghauri.
Gyanendra Bartaria, a Prasar Bharti advisor, said that Hinduism is nationalism.
—IANS
