Hindu, Muslim leaders meet on Ayodhya

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Hindu, Muslim leaders meet on Ayodhya

By Our Special Correspondent

 

LUCKNOW, JAN. 13. The much-publicised meeting called by the Bharatiya

Janata Party MP and Bajrang Dal leader, Mr. Vinay Katiyar, to solve

the Ayodhya dispute today took off without Mr. Mohammed Hashim

Ansari, first petitioner in the Babri Masjid case. However, a group

of Muslims, including some Imams of local mosques in Faizabad

district, turned up at the State Guest House here, venue of the

talks.

 

Later, Mr. Katiyar told presspersons that today's talks were

preliminary and the two sides expressed their determination to find a

solution to the problem at the local level. The next round of talks

would be held in the first week of March, he added.

 

Those who took part in the talks included Haji Sagir Ahmed Siddiqui,

Imam of Bhagwamir mosque, Syed Tauheed Asharafi Asharaf, Imam of Pure

Kamgar, Mr. Mohammed Meer, Pradhan of Hainsi village, and some other

village-level Muslim leaders little known in the context of the Babri

Masjid dispute.

 

Mr. Katiyar, however, did not give much importance to the fact that

known minority leaders were absent from his talks. The leaders from

Lucknow and Delhi had a little role to play as the dispute affected

mostly the people of Ayodhya and Faizabad. Mr. Katiyar's version was

supported by those who had come from Faizabad and some present at the

press conference.

 

Asked if they were ready to forgo the mosque, Haji Sagir Ahmed said

he wanted both the temple and the mosque. Mr. Katiyar said many

Muslims had not even seen the disputed site. He pleaded that those

who wanted to have a look at the place should be allowed to do so.

 

He said Muslim leaders playing politics on the temple issue had tried

to sabotage the talks but more than 100 Muslims had attended the

meeting.