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THE NATION: AYODHYA DISPUTE
Far From Solution
But as voices in
the VHP began to reach a higher octave, Vajpayee promptly proffered a
solution to the Ayodhya dispute before March next year. The Government
also engaged some lesser-known Islamic leaders to work out a negotiated
settlement. These included the head priest of the Ajmer Sharif dargah,
Shia leaders from Lucknow and the Barelwi sect, and Muslim leaders like
Javed Habib, chief of the Babri Masjid Action Committee (International).
"I had submitted some proposals to Vajpayee in November last year
and hope he has been working on them," says Habib.
But such fringe leaders are not considered the
voice of Muslims by many. "Only the 15-member committee formed by
the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is the competent authority
to hold a dialogue with either the Centre or the VHP," says Syed
Shahabuddin, AIMPLB member and convener of the Babri Masjid Coordination
Committee (BMCC). With Muslim leaders not agreeing to anything less than
the reconstruction of the mosque at the same place where it stood before
the demolition, no solution seems to be in sight.
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ZAFARYAB JILANI
"It is a political gimmick"
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Vajpayee is more dangerous than Advani,
says AIBMAC Convener Zafaryab Jilani in a conversation with Assistant
Editor Sharad Gupta.
Q. Have you held any dialogue with the
Centre on Ayodhya?
A.
No. Every prime minister from V.P. Singh to P.V. Narasimha Rao has
spoken to us but not Vajpayee.
Q. But Vajpayee has claimed he is having
talks to find a solution.
A.
He must be talking through his hat. In fact, we had indicated in
January that we were ready for talks but no one approached us.
Q. What do you make of the prime minister's
assurance?
A.
It is a political gimmick on the eve of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections
in which his party is sure to suffer a setback. It also shows the
Centre will keep mum while the VHP will carry out its movement.
Q. Hasn't Vajpayee made it clear he
will wait for the court verdict?
A.
Public memory is very short. Vajpayee is much more dangerous than
L.K. Advani who does exactly what he says. This man says something,
means something else and does something else.
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The three possible resolutions to the problem
will revolve around the impending court verdict, a law enacted by Parliament
or an out-of-court settlement. The title suit pending before the Lucknow
bench of the Allahabad High Court for the past 50 years has been moving
at a snail's pace and the verdict is unlikely even in the next 10 years.
On the other hand, the NDA Government does not have a majority in the
Rajya Sabha, leaving it incapable of enacting a law. Moreover, no partner
except the Shiv Sena is likely to approve of such a law. So the only option
is to hold negotiations with Hindu and Muslim leaders. But with both sides
adhering rigidly to their stances, Ayodhya seems far from reaching a solution.
"We won't concede an inch of the Babri
masjid land," asserts Sultan Salauddin Owaisi, BMAC president. The
Muslim leaders also allege that Vajpayee has bestowed legitimacy to the
VHP threats by promising a solution before its deadline. Says Shahabuddin:
"Vajpayee should have restrained the VHP leaders from issuing vitriolic
statements." They have also begun to suspect Vajpayee's motives,
alleging that the promise was aimed at buying time rather than seriously
working on an out-of-court settlement. "Vajpayee is only interested
in bringing Hindu voters back to the BJP on the eve of assembly elections.
He does not seem to mind the means he adopts to achieve his goal,"
says Jilani.
The VHP leaders, however, think Vajpayee is
feeling the heat of its mass movement and the assurance has been given
to lull the cadre into complacency. Vajpayee may have mastered the art
of blending moderation with extremism but his skills will be truly tested
at Ayodhya in March 2002.
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