"Better Late Than Never", RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat On Ayodhya Verdict

NAGPUR, Maharashtra —The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)  has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case in Ayodhya and has appealed that the verdict should not be seen as anyone’s defeat or victory.

In its verdict, the court has awarded the site on which the Babri Masjid was built to a trust of Hindu organisations. This trust shall be set up by the Central Government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ) — whose cadres and leaders demolished the mosque in December 1992. The Muslim litigants must be awarded 5 acres of land at an alternative site.

“The RSS welcomes the Supreme Court’s verdict which has done justice with this country’s beliefs, traditions and wishes of the people. This verdict has come after decades of court proceedings. This long process considered each and every aspect related to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi,” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said while reading out a written statement at the RSS’s office in Delhi. “Each party was given the chance to put forward its views. We thank and congratulate all the judges and lawyers of all parties who worked patiently in this case. We also express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this effort. The people of India, who patiently waited for justice, also deserve to be congratulated.”

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“This verdict should not be viewed as someone’s defeat or win. It should be viewed as beneficial to the country’s unity. We request all Indians to express thier happiness while being under the limits of the law. We expect the government will be work as per the Supreme Court order.

“Let’s forget everything that happened in the past and contribute towards the construction of Ram Temple,” he added.

To a query on the future course of action and what will happen to Ram Janma Bhoomi Nyas now, Bhagwat said,  “ Everything will become clear by the time. We have no insistence. Ram Janma Bhoomi Nyas has been given the land and the government has been asked to construct the temple.

When asked about 5 acres of land given to Muslims for construction of Masjid inside Ayodhya town, he said, “ We have accepted the court’s verdict. All these questions will occur when the process will go on. We want to end all kinds of conflicts now. We will study the court order. We don’t have to give the land. The government will decide on that. The government’s initiative should be to end this conflict. We are ok if one place is being used for prayer and one for others (another worship) but it creates divisions. We will construct the Mandir. Ask that question to the government. Hindus and Muslims are citizens of India. Our message is for all citizens. RSS doesnt do agitations we do character building. Agitations are not our subject.”

The RSS chief claimed that efforts were made to resolve the issue through an agreement that could not be succeeded which is why the matter went to court. 

“Nobody wants quarrels. Der aye Durust aye (Better late than never),” Bhagwat added.

Meanwhile, the Muslim litigants in the case have expressed their disappointment with the verdict.

“The Ayodhya verdict holds no value for us. We are dissatisfied with the verdict. It has a lot of contradictions. We will seek a review,” the Sunni Waqf board’s lawyer Zafaryab Jilani said .