THE VISHWA Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided that it will not allow any new mosques to be built in Ayodhya.
The VHP’s topmost body, Margdarshak Mandal, in a resolution adopted on Friday in Haridwar also rejected the suggestion to settle the Ram temple issue outside the court and demanded that the Centre should take initiative in this regard.
“Mandir wahin… Ayodhya mein koi nai masjid nahin… Babar ke naam par Bharat mein kuch bhi nahin (Temple at the same site… no new mosque in Ayodhya… nothing in the name of Babar in India anymore),” the resolution stated.
When contacted, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said enough mosques already existed in Ayodhya. “VHP will oppose if any new mosque is be built there,” he added.
“In support of the resolution in the meeting, the sants argued ‘will any Hanuman temple be allowed in Vatican City or Mecca’. Ayodhya holds relevance to non-Hindus as well and only temple should be allowed there,” said Jain.
“The idea of settling the Ram Mandir issue out of the court amicably was rejected because Muslims had every time stepped away from talks in the past. It was resolved in the meet that Ram temple could be built only by enacting a law through the Parliament and the Centre must initiate the process. The sants had supported BJP in the hope that a Ram temple would be built and the government should work for it,” he added.
These resolutions will be discussed in Ayodhya on June 7, when birthday celebrations of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas president Nritya Gopal Das —an accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case — is set to conclude. A ‘Sant Sammelan’ will be oraganised the same day.
VHP spokesperson in Awadh prant, Sharad Sharma, said the event will be attended by UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Cabinet Minister Mukut Bihari Verma, MP Minister Kunwar Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy. Others attending the event include VHP working president Pravin Togadia and general secretary Champat Rai.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had visited Ayodhya, where he had attended the first day of the birthday celebrations. Sharma said that Union Minister Kalraj Mishra will attend the celebrations on June 5 and 6. “Earlier as well, the birthday of Nritya Gopal Das had been celebrated in the same manner… Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders and sants have been visiting,” said Umesh Pandey, VHP’s co-secretary of Awadh region.
