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Updated: Nov 09, 2019 16:54 IST

Many Opposition parties hailed the Supreme Court verdict on the long-standing Ayodhya dispute while appealing for peace even as at least a couple of parties chose to remain silent till the time of filing this report.

The Supreme Court judgment said a temple would be built at the disputed land in Ayodhya and ordered the government to give Muslim parties an alternative 5-acre plot.

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Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, Mayawati, maintained that the judgment of the apex court should be respected. “I appeal that the Honourable Supreme Court’s historic verdict through consensus, in accordance with the Constitution by Babasaheb Ambedkar, should be respected and the next steps should be taken in a similar harmonious atmosphere,” Mayawati tweeted.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi and Lok Sabha MP has criticized the verdict and said the Supreme Court might be “supreme” but not “infallible

On the court’s direction to the government to provide Muslim properties 5 acre land, Owaisi said “Muslims did not need the land as donation.” “The Muslims of the country have been fighting for their legitimate rights. They don’t need any donation. We are capable of building the mosque,” he said.

The Congress appealed for calm and urged all communities to follow “secular values”. “The Indian National Congress respects the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. We appeal to all the parties concerned and to all communities to abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in our Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony,” a statement by the Congress Working Committee said.

The Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) have so far not come out with any official reaction. SP leader, Akhilesh Yadav, was scheduled to hold a press conference in Lucknow but it was cancelled as the Supreme Court was about to deliver its judgment.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) went a step further and asked political parties to focus on public services while respecting the verdict. In his tweet, RJD chief, Tejaswi Yadav, said, “We respect the verdict of the apex court. All the temples, masjids, gurdwaras and churches belong to us. Nothing or no one belongs to outsiders. Everything belongs to us. Now, political parties should focus on good schools, colleges, hospitals and on providing job opportunities for young people.”

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, Chandrababu Naidu, tweeted: “The unanimous decision taken by the panel of esteemed judges must be respected. I request all to maintain peace and harmony.”

The CPI(M) took a nuanced stand while reiterating that it always maintained the Ayodhya case must be solved by a judicial verdict in the absence of negotiations. The CPIM politburo, however, also pointed at some “questionable premises” of the verdict.

In a statement, the Politburo said: “The CPI(M) has always maintained that the issue should be resolved by a judicial verdict if a negotiated settlement was not possible. While this judgment has provided a judicial resolution to this fractious issue there are certain premises of the judgment which are questionable.

“The Court judgment has itself stated that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 was a violation of law. This was a criminal act and an assault on the secular principle. The cases pertaining to the demolition should be expedited and the guilty punished. The Court has also appreciated the 1991 Places of Religious Worship Act. Adherence to this law should ensure that no such disputes on religious places are again raised and utilized.”

The politburo said, “The judgment has itself stated that the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 was a violation of law. This was a criminal act and an assault on the secular principle. The cases pertaining to the demolition should be expedited and the guilty punished. The court has also appreciated the 1991 Places of Religious Worship Act. Adherence to this law should ensure that no such disputes on religious places are again raised and utilized”.