Too many irons in Ayodhya fire: How Narendra Modi is managing the dispute

Modi's trying to manage the dispute while keeping the VHP at a distance but his own motivations and the issue's volatility ensure a straight course is unlikely

Radhika Ramaseshan  |  New Delhi 

When Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Art of Living Foundation maker, initiated an effort to “resolve” the Ayodhya tangle, he joined a line of past negotiators that included ‘tantrik’ Chandraswami and Jayendra Saraswathi, pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.  There’s a difference, though.

Chandraswami and the Kanchi Shankaracharya were directly engaged by former prime ministers Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee, respectively, when the Ayodhya dispute became too much of a hot potato to hold. It’s unclear if the spiritual guru from Bengaluru ...

First Published: Sun, November 19 2017. 21:35 IST