The three-day meet of All India Muslim Personal law Board, a platform of all the sects and organisations of Muslims in India, began in Hyderabad this evening amid a fresh controversy over efforts for an out of court settlement of Babri Masjid – Ram Janam Bhoomi dispute.
The controversy was sparked off by a senior cleric and a member of the AIMPlB Syed Salman Nadvi meeting Art of living Founder Sri Sri Ravishankar in Bengaluru on Thursday. Nadvi choosing to meet Ravishankar at a time when the top leadership of the Board had gathered in Hyderabad for annual plenary, raised many an eyebrows among the community leaders.
Babri Masjid title suit pending before the Supreme Court and the controversial Triple Talaq Bill of Narendar Modi Government will be among the key issues to be discussed at the AIMPlB plenary at the Salar-e-Millat Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
The meeting of Salman Nadvi and a few other Muslims with Sri Sri Ravishankar was unlikely to find any takers at the Board meeting. Moulana Syed Khaleel-ur-Rahman Sajjad Nadvi, spokesperson of the Board denied that any member had brought any proposal before the Board regarding the Babri Masjid land.
Sri Sri Ravishankar, who has been trying to emerge as a mediator between Hindu and Muslim communities claimed after the meeting with Salman Nadvi that the Muslim leaders had agreed to the proposal of shifting the Masjid from the disputed site to another place.
Asaduddin Owaisi categorically ruled out any talks on Ayodhya issue. He said that the Muslim Personal law Board Working Committee has already passed a resolution in the past that it will not have any more talks on the issue and wait for the decision of the Apex court where the matter was pending now.
He also pointed out that in 1991 the Places of Religious Worship Act was passed to ensure that their status of 15th August 1947 will be maintained. “Now the Supreme Court has made it clear that it is a land issue” he said.
He said that the BJP should stop beating its drum. “BJP made it an issue of faith to increase its seats but the law is not going to look at the matter from the glasses of faith”, Owaisi said.
When asked about the demand of certain Hindu organisations that the disputed site should be handed over to them and the mosque should be rebuilt elsewhere, Owais quipped, “India is secular socialist democratic republic not a banana republic where somebody can decide. Matter is pending before the apex court where all the parties were represented yesterday, and state their position. All the parties said that some more translation work needs to be done. The court agreed and fixed the next date of hearing on March 12”.
On Salman Nadvi meeting Ravishankar, he said that if the Board feels the need it will comment and react. On Ravishankar’s claim that Muslims have agreed to shift the mosque to some other places, “I don’t know what he is saying. First ask him why he is not paying the fine of the Green Tribunal. First he should come clean”.