JD(U) differs on Bhagwats statement on Ayodhya temple

Reacting to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats advocacy of a law to facilitate construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, the ruling JD(U) in Bihar on Thursday said it stood by its original stand that the issue must be settled through a consensus between the affected communities or a court order.

The party, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar which shares power with the BJP, also pointed out that the NDA had been formed with an understanding among all allies that the three contentious issues of Ayodhya, Article 370 relating to Jammu and Kashmir and uniform civil code will be kept on the backburner.

The JD(U) sticks to its original stand that the matter should be settled by the court or through mutual consent. This is in line with the basic premise on which the NDA had been formed that the three contentious issues will not be stirred, JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said.

Ranjan was reacting to a query on the statement made by Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur earlier in the day wherein he had urged the Centre to clear the path for construction of the grand temple through an appropriate and requisite law.

The BJP, which has been listing the three contentious issues in its election manifestos over the years much to the consternation of allies is yet to come with an official response to Bhagwats demand though the same has been backed by maverick party MP Subramaniam Swamy.

Meanwhile, the opposition RJD in the state which has remained a staunch opponent of the BJP since its establishment in the 1990s criticized Bhagwats statement and questioned its timing.

The title dispute in Ayodhya is sub-judice. The Supreme Court is expected to begin hearing later this month. To make such an utterance at this point of time smacks of a mischievous political design," RJD national vice-president Shivanand Tiwary said.