At a time when the Vishwa Hindu Parishads attempt to reopen the Ram temple issue with a Chaurasi Kosi parikrama of Ayodhya has found few takers,a local effort by residents of Ayodhya and Faizabad to resolve the dispute has been gaining ground. One that proposes a Ram temple at the disputed site and a mosque 400 m away,but within the 67 acres of land acquired by the government. VHP plans protests after foiled Ayodhya yatra Mediation and fortnightly talks have been on for more than two years now between Hindus and Muslims of the twin towns. Justice Palok Basu,a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court,has been spearheading this local effort since March 18,2010 six months before the high court partitioned the disputed site into three parts. Ayodhya issue not a priority for LS polls: BJP In its controversial September 30,2010 ruling,the high court awarded the site,where the Babri Masjid once stood,to the deity of Ramlalla,Nirmohi Akhara and the Muslims. The Supreme Court stayed the verdict in May 2011,calling it strange. Several petitions challenging the verdict have since been admitted. But talks at the local level have resulted in a four-point proposal to resolve the issue and shut out outsiders. Over seven thousand signatories have already backed this proposal: * The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute should be settled by talks between residents of Ayodhya and Faizabad only,and include every dharm (religion),panth (sect) and jaati (caste). No outsider,association or group should interfere. * No one has any objection to a temple at the site of the idol of Ram. In fact,all accept it. Narendra Modi breathes new life into Ram mandir issue,set to visit Ayodhya * A boundary wall at the site should separate the southern end which has been given to the Muslims. There should be no construction there. * A portion of the acquired land should be made available by the court for a mosque near the Yusuf Aara Machine (Yusuf Saw Mill),nearly 400 m away from the disputed site. Narendra Modi's deputy Amit Shah heads to Ayodhya,'prays' for Ram temple 'soon' Confirming this,Justice Palok Basu told The Indian Express: We are waiting for the number of signatories to reach ten thousand,after which I will submit my report along with the proposal and signatures to the Commissioner appointed by the Supreme Court who I presume will share it with the Central and state government. Things can take a peaceful course,with a win-win for both sides. He said he intends making use of the provision in the judicial settlement for alternate dispute-resolution methods,after doing away with all kinds of outsiders,even if some are litigants. So when we hand this over to the Supreme Court,we hope they will look upon this favourably and allow Ayodhya-Faizabad residents to take charge of their destiny and end the discord there because of the long-pending dispute, he said. Basu feels that building a temple for Ram would be a golden opportunity for Ayodhya and everybody there,and rebuilding a mosque would go some distance to assuage Muslim sentiment. The four-point resolution was hammered out nearly six months ago by local Hindus and Muslims at the residence of a lawyer,Ranjit Lala Verma,who fought the case for the Nirmohi Akhara. Regular attendees at meetings convened every fortnight have included prominent locals like Gyan Prakash Srivastava,Haji Mehboob,Bhaskar Das,Babu Khan,Syed Aftab Raza Rizvi,Devendracharya Maharaj,Janmeyjay,Vyasji and Manzar Mehdi. Basu said he didnt have anything against the VHP or others who tried to rake up the matter with the Chaurasi Kosi parikrama and underline their opposition to any mosque within the 67 acres of acquired land. Each one,including the VHP or the state government,does things according to their understanding. We are acting with Hindus and Muslims together as we see fit, he said. When his comments were sought on this local effort,Ravi Shankar Prasad,BJP MP and lawyer who argued for Ramlalla in the case,said: There is either a procedure for such cases through the court or through mediation. Mediation must be open,fair,just and have the government clearly out in the open,as a facilitator,not hush-hush like this. This arithmetic of ten thousand signatures is meaningless. A dialogue should be held with leaders of standing at a much higher level. Who is Palok Basu and whom does he draw his authority from? Zafaryab Jilani,senior counsel for the Sunni Waqf Board,said: This is an exercise in futility. The matter is sub-judice,an appeal is pending,so how can anything be done if parties to the dispute are not on board? It is the open and stated position of Muslims that they will accept the verdict of the Supreme Court. How can we be ousted from there when even the court says we have a claim? There are 27 mosques in Ayodhya already. We dont just want another one. It is a question of justice and the law.
