Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Ayodhya: 'Majority of Muslims in favour of Ram temple'
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says resolving the Ayodhya issue is a tough task but he is still hopeful.
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today claimed that majority of Muslims in India are in favour of the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Talking to media persons in Ayodhya, the spiritual guru said that he will talk to everybody, including the representatives of the Sunni Waqf Board, to resolve the dispute.
" We are trying for the construction of the Ram temple with the support of both Hindus and Muslims," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said.
Meanwhile, the saints of Nirmohi Akhara today levelled a series of allegations against both Sri Sri Ravishankar and Vishwa Hindu Parishad in connection with the proposed construction of a grand Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
Their first allegation was that an amount of Rs 20 crore was offered to the members of Sunni Waqf Board for accepting Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s formula to resolve the Ayodhya dispute.
Mahant Sitaram Das of Nirmohi Akhara also alleged that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has embezzled Rs 1400 crore collected by Ram Janmaboomi Nyas for the construction of the Ram temple.
However, Mahant Ram Das, another Mahant of Nirmohi Akahara, rubbished the allegations levelled by Mahant Sitaram Das.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad also rejected the allegations and claimed that there was complete transparency in the accounts of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas.
Reacting to allegations of Rs 20 crore offer made to members of Sunni Waqf Board, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that these are baseless claims as no Muslim would ever enter into any deal over the mosque.
Earlier in the day, the AOL founder said that talks are going on to resolve the ongoing Ram temple dispute and he is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon.
The spiritual guru added that if the Ayodhya dispute is resolved through court, the decision would be one-sided. The Ayodhya decision should be taken mutually, he said.
The Art of Living founder said that resolving the Ayodhya issue is a tough task but he is still hopeful.
Having offered to mediate in the Ayodhya dispute, Sri Sri met Adityanath on Wednesday but said he had no proposal yet to discuss with the stakeholders.
When asked about Muslim leaders rejecting his proposal to resolve the dispute, Sri Sri said he had no proposal at the moment so any question of rejection does not arise.
"As far as the Ayodhya issue is concerned, the chief minister's stand is very clear. The state government is not a party (to the dispute). We welcome any settlement and will honour the decision of the court," he said.
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In an informal interaction with journalists after meeting Adityanath, he said, "I want unity...I want amity. This is just a beginning. We will talk to all."
On Wednesday, the spiritual guru met Suresh Das of Digambar Akhada, Janmejay Sharan of Rasikpeeth and Rajaram Chandra Acharya of Nirmohi Akahada, apparently to explore ways for a reconciliation between the warring parties locked in a protracted legal dispute over the land on which the Babri mosque stood before being pulled down in 1992. The matter is now pending before the Supreme Court.
As per reports, both Sri Sri and the Uttar Pradesh CM discussed the Ayodhya issue in their 40-minute meeting on Wednesday.