Hindu, Muslim leaders see each other, miss the point

The meeting was called by the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) for ‘‘greater understanding’’ between the two communities but it didn’t address any of the three issues.

The meeting went off smoothly with an exchange of rhetoric between the Imams, members of the Muslim Personal Law Board and the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal leadership. They also passed a resolution and the participants agreed to meet again. However, after the meeting, VHP general secretary Praveen Togadia said: ‘‘While this meeting has been good for breaking the ice, the next meeting has to address the problems.’’

All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice-president Kalbe Sadiq pointed out: ‘‘The meeting has been held in cordial atmosphere, but the atmosphere after the meeting has left much to be desired.’’

Immediately after the meeting, Hindu leaders led by Togadia launched into an explanation on what is needed for reaching a solution. ‘‘If they agree to resettle Hindus in J-K, we will rehabilitate Muslims in Gujarat,’’ he said.

All India Imams Conference chief Maulana Jameel Illyasi said: ‘‘Everyone at the meeting stood up in mourning for those killed both in Gujarat and in J-K. This is a great beginning.’’

On why the NCM did not address the most crucial issues, commission member Lieutenant-General (retired) A.M. Sethna said: ‘‘We could not have put Ayodhya on the agenda as it is not a minority or majority issue. We did not put Gujarat on the agenda because the NCM has done a lot on it. And we have bigger plans on J-K which cannot be disclosed now.’’

The meeting itself didn’t go entirely without flashpoints. For instance, when Kalbe Sadiq proposed forming of a Shanti Sena, it was stuck down by Togadia who said that the first move has to come from the Muslim community.