Always Favoured Out-of-Court Settlement of Ayodhya Issue: RSS

Coimbatore: The RSS on Tuesday welcomed the apex court's suggestion for a negotiated settlement to the Ayodhya dispute, saying it should be resolved at the earliest and a grand shrine should be built with participation of all.

"We welcome the suggestion of Supreme Court.. RSS always supported a settlement outside the court or a legislation to solve the sensitive issue," RSS Joint General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale told reporters.

The top RSS brass is here to attend a three-day meeting of its highest decision-making body, Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, which concluded on Tuesday. Hosabale was responding to a question on the suggestion by the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar that such religious issues can be solved through negotiations and its offer to mediate for arriving at an amicable settlement.

He said though the RSS was not directly involved in the litigation, it would support any decision taken by the 'Dharma Sansad,' which spearheaded the Ram Janambhumi movement. "It (the Ram temple issue) is to be decided by the Dharam Sansad as they are the people who organised the entire Ram Janambhumi movement and the parties who went to the court. The RSS will not decide.

"The RSS will go by the Dharam Sansad's decision. The issue should be settled at the earliest and a grand temple should be erected through the involvement of all Indians," he added. RSS Prachar Pramukh Manmohan Vaidya told PTI that a Ram temple at Ayodhya should be built "either through dialogue or through a legislation."

The apex court's suggestion came after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy sought an urgent hearing on the matter. The court said such religious issues can be solved through negotiations and that the CJI was ready to take up the task of mediating to arrive at an amicable settlement.

On February 26 last year, the Supreme Court had allowed Swamy to intervene in the pending matters relating to the Ayodhya title dispute with his plea seeking construction of the Ram temple at the site of the demolished disputed structure.

Original news source