Babri litigants are furious at the statement made by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Terming Mr Swamy’s statement that temple construction will begin by the end of 2016 as “nothing short of ridiculous”, Mohd. Hashim Ansari, the oldest living plaintiff in the Babri title case, said that the statement clearly indicated that elections in UP were round the corner.
Mr Ansari (96), who is recovering from a fractured foot and bronchial disorder, said all the statements were for elections. “Noone except the court will decide the issue and anyone else who makes such claims is obviously fooling the people...,” he said.
Mr Zafaryab Jilani, convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, said Mr Swamy’s statement was a “deliberate political statement” which had no legal sanctity.
Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said the BJP leader’s statement was fraught with dangerous consequences.
“It is designed to disturb communal harmony and widen the divide between two communities on the eve of assembly elections,” he added.
He said no development could take place in Ayodhya before the court gave its verdict but the BJP is determined to ignore the judicial aspect and take political advantage of the situation in elections. People must beware of this,” he explained.
Another litigant Haji Mehboob said that after Delhi and Bihar, the era of Modi was getting over and the BJP was desperately trying to latch on to it by raising the temple issue and bringing Kalyan Singh back into state politics.
“Musalmanon ne bhi choodiyan nahin pehen rakhi hai. No one can touch the land without court permission. The BJP should have the patience to wait for the court verdict”, he said.
