BJP, RSS welcome SC verdict on Ayodhya dispute, Cong response guarded

The BJP and its ideological parent RSS Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court order on the Ayodhya land case, hoping that it will pave the way for an early final verdict on the contentious issue, while a guarded Congress said all sides should abide by the decision.

As the apex court declined to set up a larger bench for a relook at its 1994 verdict which held that a "mosque is not an essential part of the practice of Islam", the BJP expressed hope that a final verdict will now come sooner than later.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Hindutva leader Yogi Aditynath said a majority of people want a solution to the case at the earliest as he welcomed the verdict and expressed hope that a final verdict will be delivered quickly.

In an apparent attack on the Muslim organisaitons which had urged the apex court to send the matter to a constitution bench -- a plea it declined today, Adityanath said some people wanted to delay the final verdict, and the sooner it comes the better it will be.

"Today's verdict is very important. We welcome it," he told reporters.

The Congress was cautious in its response and stressed that all sides should abide by the Supreme Court judgement on the issue.

The opposition party also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of conspiring to mislead and befool the people of the country on the Ram temple issue.

Its leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said while the BJP garners votes in the name of Ram Temple, it sends Lord Ram "to exile" the moment it comes to power.

The issue is fraught with political implications, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes that it can gain from the matter in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

It is on the back of its movement in support of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya that the BJP became a major national political party in 1990s and formed successive governments at the Centre under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Snagh also welcomed the order and expressed confidence that a just verdict on the case will be reached at the earliest.

"Today, the Supreme Court has decided to hold hearing on the...case from October 29 by a three-member bench. We welcome this decision and are confident that a just verdict will be reached over the case at the earliest," the Sangh said in a statement.

Its chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently said that a Ram temple should be built at the earliest.

BJP leader and Union minister Uma Bharti, who has been a party leader associated with the Ram temple movement, said Ayodhya is a holy place for Hindus, not for Muslims.

In an apparent attack on the BJP, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja said some parties have been trying to gain political advantage from the Ayodhya issue ahead of the general election and asked people not to fall "into the trap".

In its response, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which had demanded that the matter be sent to a Constitution bench, said it saw "some positive movement" in the Ayodhya land case with the verdict.

It said the verdict indicated that the hearing in the case will not be done on the basis of faith.

AIMPLB member Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali said the AIMPLB had wanted the Supreme Court's 1994 observation that the mosque is not integral to Islam be put before a Constitution bench "so that the matter is resolved permanently".

Muslim parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute welcomed the verdict, saying it "is in our favour".

Khaliq Ahmad Khan, the nominee of one of the litigants in the title suit, said, "The other side always quoted the 1994 judgement that mosque is not an integral part of Islam. Now the court has made it clear that the 1994 judgement was related to the land acquisition...and that it has no connection with the tittle suit. We have achieved our goal as the Supreme Court will hear only the tittle suit."