Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board said on Tuesday that it would prepare a draft proposal for a peaceful settlement of the Ayodhya dispute by December 6. The ccurrent year also marks 25 years of the demolition of Babri mosque as the structure was demolished by kar sewaks during Kalyan Singh-led BJP regime in the state on December 6, 1992. Shia Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi said that he would visit Ayodhya this month to meet seers and mahants. “I have already discussed terms and conditions with many of them and some petitioners for the draft proposal for agreement to settle the dispute mutually. By December 6, I hope we will be able to prepare our draft proposal for a mutual agreement,” Rizvi said. last month, Rizvi had met Art of living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore and apprised him of the Board’s stand that a Ram temple should be built at the site. Earlier in August, Rizvi had created a stir in political circles by presenting fatwas from top Shia clerics from Iran and Iraq claiming that they have supported the construction of temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya. He also claimed that the clerics have said that the mosque could be built away from the disputed site.
Rizvi had then said that Shia Waqf Board favours that the Ram Temple at Ayodhya should be constructed at the earliest for resolving the century-old vexed issue. He had said that a mosque named ‘ Masjid-e-Aman’ (mosque of peace) should be constructed in Muslim-dominated area outside the disputed area in Ayodhya. Reiterating his stand on Ayodhya issue, Rizvi said on Tuesday that after the demolition of the mosque in 1992, make-shift temple with idol was set up at the disputed site and regular puja was being held at the temple for the last 25 years. ``How can any Muslim think of constructing a mosque there. Hence, a grand temple should be constructed there and the mosque should be constructed at some other place near Ayodhya,” said Rizvi. On October 25, the Shia Waqf Board chief had targeted Mughal monuments and demanded the demolition of Mughal emperor Humayun’s tomb and turn it into a Muslim graveyard by writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He cited scarcity of land for Muslim graveyard in Delhi and adjoining areas for his queer demand.