Govt bid to avert Ayodhya showdown by brokering talks

Though the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) and other Muslim groups have rejected the offer of direct talks between them and self-appointed negotiator Vinay Katiyar, behind-the-scene parleys are on to see that a dialogue is initiated.

These efforts are being made at three levels, the first being the VHP itself. The VHP and the dharam sansad (parliament of religious leaders) are willing to defer a formal announcement of the date to construct the temple, provided the Muslim leadership is willing to have a dialogue.

Observers attach much significance to the sudden visit of Acharya Giriraj Kishore to Nagpur yesterday and the prolonged meeting he had with Moropant Pingle, head of all the frontal organisations of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Pingle is head of the VHP in the RSS. He also met RSS chief K S Sudarshan.

On his return to New Delhi today, Sudarshan denied to The Indian Express that he was under any pressure from the RSS leaders to postpone the announcement of the date to start construction of the temple at Ayodhya. But he left a door open when he said: “The date will certainly be decided at the dharam sansad. Whether it would be announced publicly too has to be decided by the dharmacharyas.”

Kishore for the record thundered: “We have already sacrificed four state governments after the demolition of Babri Masjid. We won’t mind sacrificing one more to construct the temple.”

However, sources close to the VHP say the Sangh Parivar doesn’t wish to rock Vajpayee’s boat right now. It is insisting that the Government should take steps to see that Muslim leaders come to the negotiating table.

Among the people who could be involved in the process is Naresh Chandra, India’s Ambassador to Washington. He had handled the Ayodhya dispute when he was in the PMO during P V Narasimha Rao’s time before he was posted to the USA. He is returning next month.

Kishore, however, is not willing to show his cards. Asked about his response if Vajpayee urged him to postpone a decision on temple construction, he shot back,“why should he speak to us? He should rather talk to the dharmacharyas who have to decide the date of construction.”

The VHP leader refused to join the proposed talks between Katiyar and Mohd Hashim, a litigant in the Babri case, “until Hashim withdraws the case”.He came down heavily on BMAC Convener Zafrayab Jilani who had said that 20 crore Muslims would be ready to lay down their life for the mosque. “Jilani should apologise for the threat. We never talked of violence. We will construct the temple peacefully, but if somebody stops us, we will certainly take necessary steps in self-defence,” he said.

Kishore argued that Indian Muslims were converts and originally all of them were Hindus. “No one has the right to change his parentage and, therefore, they should themselves vow to construct the Ram temple and we would help them in constructing a mosque 10 km from Ayodhya,” he added.