Ayodhya, April 30: Parties looking for an out-of-court settlement for Ayodhya dispute have come out with a formula that has provision for both a temple and a mosque on the disputed 70-acre land. But, the two structures would be separated by a 100-foot wall.
Mahant Gyan Das and Hashim Ansari, who started the track-II negotiations for a settlement after the September 30 high court verdict, are the men behind the present formula. While Gyan Das is the chief priest of powerful Hanuman Garhi temple and also the head of Akhara Parishad, Ansari is the oldest litigant of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit from the Muslim side.
Gyan Das said that Akhara Parishad was going to meet on May 15 in Ahmedabad. The proposal would be discussed by 18 participating akharas, including Nirmohi Akhara, which is the oldest litigant from the Hindu side in Ayodhya case.
Talking to TOI about the proposals, Mahant Gyan Das said, “We have discussed it with almost all the Hindu religious establishments and main spiritual leaders and everybody seems to agree.” Anybody from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not the party in our peace process, as VHP and BJP never wanted to build Ram temple, they just want to create a communal tension between the communities, he said.
Ansari who has moved to the Supreme Court against the high court verdict, said that he appealed in the apex court as a litigant from the Sunni Waqf Board side because it is the part of the process to implement the out-of-court settlement. He denied allegations that he lost hope of any solution and that’s why supported the Sunni Waqf Board on approaching the apex court.
“I have gone to the SC so that power should stay in my hands also. If I will not be a party in apex court, on what basis will I produce the agreement of negotiation before the judges?” asked Ansari.
-Courtesy: TOI