india

Updated: Nov 05, 2019 23:45 IST

Union minister for minority affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, met representatives of Muslim organisations and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Tuesday and leaders urged all sections of society to accept the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, expected by next week.

The meeting lasted a little over two hours and was called by the minister as a confidence-building measure and to reach out to the Muslim community ahead of the verdict, and stave off any possibility of unrest after the apex Court’s decision on the decades-old case.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the RSS, have asked their leaders and cadre to maintain calm and refrain from making inflammatory or emotive speeches in the wake of the verdict. They have also been cautioned against large-scale celebrations, should the verdict be in their favour.

According to several people who spoke to HT, senior RSS leaders Krishna Gopal (joint general secretary) and Ram Lal (joint general secretary of the outreach wing) assured the attendees at Tuesday’s meeting – members from the clergy, academia and civil society – that the Sangh was not against minorities and statements from “fringe elements” targeting Muslims should not be perceived to be the Sangh’s outlook.

A person privy to the discussions said Ram Lal pointed out that trust among communities was increasing and despite differences of faith and mindset; one must place the nation first.

“He said an entire community should not be blamed for acts of a single person from a particular community. Any incident that occurs at a particular place should not be extrapolated to the whole country. He also urged the minority community members to keep meeting members from the Sangh regularly,” said the person quoted above.

Krishna Gopal was also learnt to have said that there should not be any segregation in leadership based on religion: Hindus could be leaders for the Muslim community and vice versa. “He said India has a tradition of inclusivity and unity in diversity. Not a single top RSS leader has said a single word against the Muslim community,” the person quoted above said.

Several attendees also urged the government to ensure that incidents that spark communal outbursts be prevented.

“We said let this be the last such incident. Whatever is the court’s verdict in this case, will be accepted by all; but going ahead, let no other place of worship be sacrificed. We have wasted much of the 70 years of freedom on such issues, and we need to know focus on other problems,” said Kamal Farooqui of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

Syed Farid Nizami of the Nizamuddin Dargah, who also attended the meeting, said, “We told the minister that we are bound by the court’s decision, but they should also make attempts to revive the Sufi tradition. Dargahs (of Sufi saints) are the only places where you find people of all religions; this Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb needs to be protected.”

Naqvi said irrespective of the court’s decision, peace and harmony should prevail and there should not be any tension after the verdict.

Among those attended the meeting were former Union minister, Shahnawaz Hussain; Maulana Mahmood Madani, general secretary, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind; former MP Shahid Siddiqui, former high court justice Zakiullah; Syed Moin Sarkar, president, Anjuman Ajmer Sharif; noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali; Furqan Ahmed of Jamia Millia Islamia, and Shaheed Rizvi, advocate, Sunni Central Waqf Board.

In September, the RSS and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind agreed to work jointly to promote harmony and accord in the country. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat met the chief of JuH, Maulana Syed Arshad Madani, and the two agreed to formalise a plan to create amity between the two communities.