NEW DELHI, Sept 30 � The BJP and rest of the Sangh Parivar today saw the High Court judgement on Ayodhya as a �significant step� towards building a �grand temple� there, but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and many commentators expressed the view that the issue will go before the Supreme Court, reports PTI.
Speaking on behalf of BJP, party leader L K Advani read out a statement which said that the court verdict �is a significant step towards building of a grand temple�. RSS and VHP expressed similar sentiments while welcoming the order.
The prime minister, after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security and Congress Core Group, noted that the court itself had directed that the status quo prevailing till now be maintained for a period of three months. Besides, the court had granted leave to appeal to the apex court.
�The correct conclusion, at this stage, is that the status quo will be maintained until the cases are taken up by the Supreme Court,� Singh said in a statement.
Hailing the judgment, Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said his party has held that the controversy should either be solved through talks or the verdict of the court should be accepted.
�The court has given the verdict. We should all welcome the judgement,� Dwivedi said.
Dwivedi said that if any person or organisation has any reservation, doors of the Supreme Court were open for them.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) said the verdict has completely ignored the facts and the history.
The decision to declare that the plce where idol of Ram is installed is the birth place of Ram is just a fancy of imagination without any basis, in the documentary and other evidence, the Board�s Mohd Abdul Rahim Quraishi Assistant General Secretary said.
Political leaders across the spectrum also appealed for peace and calm in the wake of the Allahabad High Court verdict, noting that the verdict should not be seen from the prism of victory or defeat.
Advani told reporters after a meeting of BJP�s core group that the BJP�which spearheaded the Ramjanambhoomi temple�believed that this verdict opens a new chapter for national integration and a new era on inter- community relations. The party also said it was a positive development.
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said the court verdict paved the way for the construction of a �grand� Ram temple and it will be proper that �everyone� come together in its support in view of the harmony, peace, goodwill and national unity of the country.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a known Hindutva hardliner, said the road for the construction of a magnificent Ram temple at Ayodhya has been paved. He, however, maintained at the same time that there was �no room for frenzy�.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat welcomed the judgement and said the order should not be seen as anybody�s victory or defeat. �The movement for Ram temple is not a reactionary one, nor is it against any particular community,� he said.
BSP Supremo and UP Chief Minister Mayawati threw the ball in the Centre�s court over the implementation of the verdict as well as ensuring peace and harmony in the state alleging that it had not provided enough paramilitary forces for security.
CPI(M), however, reacted cautiously saying the judgement required to be fully studied as there may be questions on the nature of the verdict and maintained that recourse to Supreme Court should be the only way to resolve the matter.
�This judgement requires to be fully studied. There may be questions on the nature of the verdict,� the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said in a statement.
Former Hindutva icon Kalyan Singh, who was the BJP chief minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, welcomed the verdict saying it has upheld the belief of crores of Hindus that the disputed site was the birth place of Lord Ram.
