Calling for restraint and an appeal to all sections to maintain law and order, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) asked Muslims to actively take part in organising necessary constitutional and practical means for building a temple in Ayodhya.
The hardline Hindu organisation which had spearheaded the Ram Temple movement in the early 1990s said the judgment should not be seen as a victory or defeat for any group and people should be restrained while expressing their happiness.
“I call upon all our countrymen, including Muslims, to forget all the ill-will and hard feelings borne out of the conflicts of the past decades and welcome the verdict of the judiciary,” said Mohanrao Bhagwat, the sarsanghachalak of RSS.
Another arm of the RSS, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) also appealed for peace and harmony between Hindus and Muslims. However, they said they wanted the entire disputed shrine and the 70-acre land for the construction of a temple in Ayodhya.
“We want to have very cordial relations with Muslims and there should be peace and harmony between the two communities. The construction of a Ram temple can start only after we get the 70-acre land from the government. The court’s decision is only on the disputed title,” said Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, the jagatguru shankracharya.
Top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met at the residence of senior leader LK Advani to discuss the Allahabad High Court order.
“The expert opinion of the Archaeological Survey of India and other expert agencies engaged by the high court had clearly opined that there were remains of a Hindu religious structure where the disputed structure stands. The Bharatiya Janata Party believes that this verdict opens a new chapter for national integration and a new era for inter-community relations,” said Advani soon after the meeting.
