india

Updated: Jan 29, 2019 23:34 IST

The Centre’s application to the Supreme Court for return of undisputed land to its original owners in Ayodhya has evoked mixed reaction in the temple town. The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas has welcomed the move and one Muslim litigant too said he had no objection to the step.

However, another Muslim litigant questioned the timing of the petition.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, said in Ayodhya on Tuesday, “If the Centre gets back the land, the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas will request the government to hand over the land to us so that we start construction of Ram Mandir.” The Nyas had spearheaded the Ram temple movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

Pointing out that the step had come before VHP’s Dharma Sansad in Prayagraj on January 31 and February 1, some seers said it appeared to be aimed at pacifying the agitated saints who wanted the Centre to bring an ordinance in Parliament for construction of Ram Mandir.

Iqbal Ansari, Muslim litigant in the Ayodhya title suit dispute in Supreme Court, said, “I do not have any objection. The dispute was over the land on which mosque had existed. The Centre is free to take back the remaining 67-acre land. But till the dispute is resolved in the Supreme Court, Ram Mandir cannot be constructed.”

Iqbal Ansari’s father Hashim Ansari was the oldest litigant in the case before his death in July 2016. After Hashim Ansari’s death, Iqbal Ansari became a party in the case.

Haji Mehboob, another Muslim litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi -Babri Masjid dispute, questioned the timing of the petition and accused the BJP of using the Ram Mandir issue for gaining political mileage before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“What is the need of this petition? When the entire land (2.77 acre and 67 acre) has been acquired, then let the court decide its fate,” said Mehboob.

Mahant Satyendra Das, head priest of the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple, also said he had no objection to the Centre’s petition. “Dispute is only over 2.77-acre land. The Centre can take back the remaining 67-acre land. But Ram Mandir will only be constructed when dispute over 2.77 acre land is resolved,” he said.

Meanwhile, Karsevakpuram, local headquarters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the Maniram Das Chhavni Peeth were abuzz with activity as the news of Centre’s latest move reached here.

Seers associated with the VHP assembled at the Karsevakpuram to get details of the sudden move.