Rohini Swamy | Edited by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
Bengaluru, November 12, 2017 | UPDATED 08:17 IST
Sri Sri has appealed to all factions to consider an out-of-court settlement, which even the courts felt is the preferred way.
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar is set to meet Muslim clerics and other stakeholders in the Ram Mandir issue in Delhi on November 13.
The meeting is crucial, as it takes the Art of Living founder's offer to mediate for an out-of-court settlement to the next level.
Several rounds of talks have already taken place between Sri Sri Ravishankar and the stakeholders in the Ram Mandir issue.
The spiritual leader held fresh talks with members of the Hindu Mahasabha, the Nirmohi Akhada and the Sunni Waqf Board at the Art of Living center in Bengaluru on Saturday.
"We cannot reveal the specifics of our meeting but we had a good discussion. We want peace in the country and we will continue talks until the 'Bhoomipoojan' of the Ram temple is done," said Chandraprakash Kaushik of the Hindu Mahasabha. "We are very hopeful that the Sri Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya."
Interestingly, Amarnath Mishra, who is an interlocutor for the Ram temple issue, also met with Sri Sri Ravishankar at the ashram.
"My role is that I have been an interlocutor. We also need Sri Sri Ravishankar to intervene, as it involves the religious sentiments of thousands of people, and Sri Sri Ravishankar holds the confidence of both Hindus and Muslims. I will be going to Delhi with Guruji and hold a meeting with Muslim clerics in Delhi on November 13," he said.
It was on October 31 this year that Sri Sri Ravishankar had held a round of talks with the Shia Waqf Board and some representatives of the Hindu Mahasabha.
"The decision should be taken very peacefully and we hope that the compromise formula of whatever is decided between the stakeholders will be presented to the Supreme Court on December 5," Amarnath Mishra said. "Whatever the decision given by the Supreme Court, we will go by it but in the larger interest of the issue, talks should continue with our Muslim friends and in the end, it should end peacefully. Nobody can deny the fact that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Ram and we will continue our talks till the temple is established."
After the meeting, Ram Prabhat Singh of the Nirmohi Akhada said "We hope that the Ram temple will be built. We don't have much to say whether it should be a court verdict or an out-of-court settlement. It is being unnecessarily politicized and this is causing the biggest hurdles in taking a decision on the issue."
Sri Sri Ravishankar has appealed to all factions to consider an out-of-court settlement, which even the courts felt is the preferred way.
The final hearings on Ayodhya will begin in the Supreme Court on December 5 on whether a temple for Lord Ram can be built on the site or whether a masjid will be allowed. It was in 2010 that the Allahabad High Court accepted that the disputed site (which measures around two acres) was the birthplace of Lord Ram. The high court said in its verdict that two-thirds of the disputed land should be allotted to Hindus and the remainder to Muslims. The Supreme Court suspended it in 2011.
The BJP has maintained that they will follow the court orders but have been also saying that they are determined to build a Ram temple in the disputed area.
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