No condition on Centre for mosque land: Ansari

LUCKNOW: One of the Muslim litigants in the Ayodhya land title dispute Iqbal Ansari on Tuesday asked the Centre to follow the Supreme Court’s directives when it comes to allotment of land for the mosque and denied any conditions imposed by him for allotment of land.

After the Supreme Court’s verdict paving way for construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and directing the Centre to allot 5 acre land for mosque in Ayodhya, several Muslim organisations have come up with suggestions for the mosque land.

“I have not imposed any condition on the Centre for allotment of land for the mosque. Neither have I asked the land within the 65 acre (campus for Ram Mandir that includes 2.77 acre),” Ansari said.

Further clarifying his stand on the issue, Ansari said: “I only want the Centre to honour the Supreme Court’s order when it comes to allotment of land for the mosque.”

Commenting on several opinions related with the utilisation of mosque land, Ansari said: “Land for the mosque is yet to be allotted and people have started giving opinion on its utilisation. First let the government allot the land then we will decide on what else should come up on it apart from the mosque.”

It may be pointed out that several Muslim organisations have demanded that an educational institution for Muslims must also come up long with the mosque at the 5 acre land.

According to VHP leaders, village Shanawa in Sadar tehsil, Ayodhya, could be the place for the land for the proposed mosque. When late VP Singh was Prime Minister, negotiations were underway between Hindu and Muslim litigants for out of court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute, during 1990-91.

In these negotiations, late Syed Shahabuddin and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay were key negotiators apart from Hindu and Muslim litigants, said Sharad Sharma, regional spokesman of the VHP.