Ayodhya talks 8212; no one8217;s taking it seriously

Legal experts, too, have their doubts. 8220;Talks can8217;t be held under intimidation of the announcement of temple construction dates by VHP. Hashim, Katiyar do not mean anything more than an agreement reached between two lieutenants of India and Pakistan on Kashmir,8221; says constitutional lawyer Rajeev Dhawan who was counsel for the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee.

8220;A negotiated solution can be found only between a set of persons accepted by both sides as their representatives, including those involved in earlier negotiations as well,8221; Dhawan says adding that the Hashim-Katiyar talks were just an exercise in political kite-flying.

Muslim leaders feel that Hashim had been bought over by the Sangh Parivar. 8220;We won8217;t settle for anything less than reconstruction of Babri Masque, as promised by the then Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, soon after demolition of the Babri Mosque,8221; says Javed Habib, president of Babri Masjid Action Committee international.

Habib says the promise made by one Prime Minister Rao can8217;t be forgotten by another Vajpayee and Muslims wanted only a Babri Masjid at the disputed site. 8220;The makeshift temple there is only a temporary structure and may be removed easily,8221; he said.

The founder president of Bajrang Dal, Katiyar8217;s 8220;peace talks8221; received a major setback when the present incument, Surendra Jain, vowed to go ahead with temple construction from the date announced by saints at dharma sansad in Allahabad on January 21. 8220;We will abide by the saints8217; directives irrspective of outcome of Katiyar-Hashim talks8221;, Jain told The Indian Express today.

Even the BJP has distanced itself from Katiyar8217;s talks. 8220;He must have taken the initiative in his individual capacity and not on behalf of the party8221;, said party vice president Jana Krishnamurthy.

The party8217;s lone Muslim secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, too feels the need for involvement of more persons in negotiations since 8220;a national problem can8217;t be solved by only local leaders8221;.

Convenor of Babri Masjid Action Commitee Zafaryab Jilani ruled out talks with Sangh Parivar members, including the BJP, to settle the Babri Masjid dispute saying this was a decision taken by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board MPLB, BMAC and the Babri Masjid Movement Coordination Committee BMCC. 8220;We decided that the issue could be solved only through adjudication and not by negotiation,8221; he said.

Hashim had no support base in the Muslim community and he was being used by the VHP to earn political mileage since he was a very good friend of Katiyar8217;s, he said.

The BMCC too refused to back Hashim saying only MPLB was the competent body to negotiate the Ayodhya issue. 8220;Babri Masjid is a national question and cannot be treated as a local issue to be sorted out by talks with the some non-entities,8221; BMCC convenor Syed Shahabuddin said warning the VHP to desist from 8220;dishonest, tactical propoganda.8221;

The BMCC was aware of VHP8217;s attempts to rope in some Muslims to sign on the dotted line, 8220;but such signatures will have no legal and moral validity,8221; Shahabuddin said. Though the initial suit in Babri case was filed by Hashim Ansari, he could not withdraw it since it was a 8220;representative suit8221; by various Muslim bodies.