Rizwi meets saints, says will approach SC before Dec 5
LUCKNOW: Shia Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi visited Ayodhya on Sunday to meet saints to find an amicable solution to the Ayodhya dispute. He reiterated there was no need of any new mosque in Ayodhya.
The Board along with some mahantas have now decided to approach the Supreme Court before December 5 with a solution to the dispute.
Rizvi said, “We are working on a solution and before December 5 we will approach the court with it.” Earlier, the Shia Waqf Board proposed to the apex court that a temple can be built at the disputed Ayodhya site and the mosque be located nearby in a Muslim-dominated area. Various attempts have been made by all the stakeholders till now to resolve the matter amicably but all went in vain.
Earlier, the top court had also suggested that an out-of-court settlement was the best recourse to the dispute. The apex court will commence the final hearing of the long-standing matter from December 5.
In Ayodhya, Rizvi, however, had to face a snub from Iqbal Ansari, a party in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case who said Rizvi was not required in the reconciliation process.
On reaching Ayodhya, Rizwi met mahant Nritya Gopaldas, mahant Sureshdas, mahant Dharmdas and mahant Narendragiri. A closed door meeting was held at the Hanuman temple in Beniganj.
Sources said there were some hot argument between Rizvi and Ansari, son of petitioner in the case late Hashim Ansari. Both spoke to media separately after that. “Rizvi is not needed in the reconciliation process,” said Ansari
“His (Ansari’s) anger won’t have any bearing on the efforts towards a amicable settlement,” said Rizvi.
He also said there was no need for any new mosque (in place of the one that was demolished in 1992) in Ayodhya. “Ayodhya is a temple town. A new mosque could be built outside Ayodhya and somewhere in Faizabad,” he added.
After the meeting, mahant Narendragiri said: “Now, hopes have strengthened for the construction of Ram Janmbhoomi temple. All the saints are working towards it. Bharatiya Janata Party is with us and soon Vishwa Hindu Parishad too will join.”
Regretting the demise of Hashim Ansari, mahant Narendragiri said: “Had he been alive, we would have won his favour too.”
Narendragiri hit out at Sri Sri Ravishankar and said he was not a saint and ran an NGO..
› Now, hopes have strengthened for the construction of Ram temple. All the saints are working towards it. MAHANT NARENDRAGIRI