Digging won’t disturb Ramlalla, Sangh smug

The Sangh Parivar is jubilant over the Allahabad High Court order seeking an excavation of the disputed Ayodhya site. The Parivar’s ela...

The Sangh Parivar is jubilant over the Allahabad High Court order seeking an excavation of the disputed Ayodhya site. The Parivar’s elation emanates from the fact that the proposed excavation would not disturb the status quo at the place where the make-shift Ram temple exists.

VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia, when reached at Nagpur, told The Indian Express over telephone: ‘‘We welcome the court order. Though we believe that sufficient evidence is already available to establish the existence of a Ram temple at the site prior to the construction of the Babri Masjid, we welcome the court’s move to obtain more substantive evidence.”

‘Temple at any cost’

NAGPUR: At an ‘‘awareness’’ rally here on Tuesday ahead of Pratinidhi Sabha conclave of RSS beginning on Friday, Ashok Singhal, Sadhvi Rithambhara and Pravin Togadia said the temple would be built, if necessary, even at the BJP-led Government’s peril. ‘‘This Government may survive or fall, we are firm,’’ Singhal said. (ENS)

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Togadia said: ‘‘The content of the inscription on the plaque at the Babri Masjid structure substantiated our claim. So did the pillars of the building. The archaeological finds from the area also supported our case.’’

On why the VHP had opposed an excavation of the site earlier, Togadia said: ‘‘Our sole reason of objection was the attempt by some vested interests to disturb the status quo under the garb of excavation. By suggesting the excavation of the disputed site where Ramlalla is installed, they wanted to force a shifting of the deity to another place. This was not acceptable to us. Since the latest court order maintains the status quo with regard to the deity and the daily rituals, we have no problem with an excavation.’’

RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said from Nagpur: ‘‘We are happy over the court order on three counts. One, it will help the legal process by enabling the court to secure a significant and substantive evidence to resolve the dispute. Two, it has foiled the attempts by some vested interests to alter the status quo vis-a-vis Ramlalla. The excavation would take place only around the make-shift temple without disturbing the deity. Three, the move would expedite the case.’’

BJP chief M. Venkaiah Naidu reacted cautiously. He said at Hyderabad: ‘‘We do not like to comment on the day-to-day hearings and interim orders of the court. But we want expeditious hearing in the Ayodhya case and an early verdict.’’ He refused to be drawn into a discussion on excavation. Party general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: ‘‘It is a positive development towards the resolution of the dispute. The BJP has always wanted the issue to be resolved either through negotiations or through a court verdict.’’