Expelled AIMPLB member Maulana Salman Nadwi meets Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, discusses Ayodhya settlement

LUCKNOW: Giving impetus to efforts of finding a peaceful and out-of-court solution to the vexed Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid issue, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar met Maulana Salman Nadwi, who was expelled from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) earlier in February, here on Thursday morning.

Shankar reached state capital late on Wednesday night where he met Nadwi, led by a delegation of 10 persons, at the house of late Munshi Nawal Kishore, a prominent socialite and a respected figure of the city.

After a few rounds of confabulations over the Ayodhya issue, it was decided that the next talk will be convened by Luv Bhargava (grandson of Munshi Naval Kishore and AOL member) in Lucknow on March 28. Maulana Nadwi is expected to bring clerics and other religious heads on board in support of his Ayodhya formula in this meeting.

Giving the details of Thursday discussions, retired IAS officer and director, Centre for Objective Research and Development, Athar Hussain, who was privy to the meeting, said that talks focused on how the two communities, which constitute around 96 per cent of the population of India, could live together in harmony and peace vis-a-vis Ayodhya dispute.

WATCH VIDEO | Have been getting good response from every side: Sri Sri on Ayodhya dispute

Earlier on February 8, Maulana Nadwi, along with UP Sunni Waqf Board chief Zufar Farooqui, visited Art of Living Ashram in Bengaluru. Following the meeting, Nadwi had echoed his pro-temple sentiment back in Lucknow and proposed a formula envisaging construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site and shifting of mosque to some other place.

Apart from pressing for the construction of Ram temple, Nadwi had proposed that a bigger area of land than the one on which Babri mosques stood should be given for the construction of a mosque and an Islamic university somewhere other than Ayodhya.

He had also demanded an action against those who were involved in the demolition of Babri Masjid and a guarantee that there would be no interference in any Islamic seminary, mosque, shrine or graveyard in future.

Consequently, Nadwi, also an executive committee member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board  (AIMPLB), was expelled from the apex Muslim body on February 10.

The vexed issue, lingering for decades, is pending in the Supreme Court of India. A three-judge bench is hearing the case and March 14 has been fixed as the next date of hearing.