With the Ayodhya issue in the supreme Court-monitored mediation mode, the Vishva Hindu Parishad on Thursday urged the Chief Justice and the government to press hard on removing hindrances delaying the construction of the grand Ram temple. The mediation will conclude on August 15.
Passing a resolution on the temple at the Kendriya Marg Darshak Mandal meet in Haridwar, the VHP said: "The saints of the country appeal to the government to remove all obstacles in the path so that a grand temple in Ayodhya be built soon according to the wishes of crores of Hindus."
Recognizing that government alone could not fulfil its demands, the saint fraternity has pointed out that "it will not be right even on the part of the judiciary to turn away from its responsibility."
On May 10, a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi extended the mediation on the matter till August 15, observing "we do not want to short-circuit the ongoing mediation process. We will extend the time in order to enable the committee to complete the task assigned to it."
The court also expressed its satisfaction on the mediation process so far. The panel of mediators comprises Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla, former apex court judge, as Chairman; spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, known for alternative dispute resolution.
"We call upon the Chief Justice of India to make a decision by completing the hearing on the matter at the earliest", said the VHP statement.
Alok Kumar, VHP's Working President, made it clear that his organisation will not wait "indefinitely" on Ram temple construction.
"One thing is clear: VHP will not compromise on two issues - first, only a temple will be built at the birthplace of Lord Ram and; second, there can be no mosque within the cultural limits of Ayodhya," he told IANS.