07-21-2005, 06:12 AM
Muslims angry over VHP plea to vacate houses near mandir
Tavishi Srivastava / Lucknow
Muslim residents of Ayodhya have reacted with anger to the VHP's petition to the President and Union Home Minister, asking that occupants of houses on the periphery of the Ram Janmabhoomi complex be made to leave on the plea that they are vulnerable to jihadi pressure and hence a security threat. Nearly all the occupants are Muslims.
Haji Mehboob, a senior leader of the Babri Masjid Movement and president of the Anjuman Muhafiz Muazib Avadh, dismissing the move, said, "the VHP demand is totally unjustified. We are not going to tolerate this. We also plan to meet the President and Union Home Minister to put forward our side of the story.
The VHP can't be allowed to whip up a communal divide. They have already failed in their designs and have been exposed before the people of Ayodhya and Faizabad."
Saying that most of the houses were at least four generations old, he justified his stand by adding, "the VHP is simply looking for an issue since their efforts to encash on the terrorist strike have failed miserably for lack of public support."
There are about 50 houses and shops belonging to the minority community in the periphery of the RJB complex mainly in Duari Kuan, Karziana, Panji Tola, Katra and Tehri Bazar localities accounting for a population of nearly 3,000 families.
Ironically, when the VHP was meeting the President, the Nehru Yuva Kendra was taking out a sadbhavna yatra in Ayodhya to promote communal amity. However few seemed to notice the procession on Tuesday and many dismissed it as an "official exercise."
Sants and local VHP leaders however feel that the government should have acquired these minority homes long ago. VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said, "in 1993, the Narasimha Rao Government failed to acquire the houses of the minority community simply due to their appeasement policy. At that time the government did not hesitate in acquiring the houses belonging to the Hindus. Over two dozen ancient temples were acquired, some were given compensation while the others got nothing.
Even the stables of the minorities were exempted. This discriminatory attitude has now created problems for us."
Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, told The Pioneer, "an impartial assessment can be made. It is not an issue of Hindus and Muslims, but the earlier government had toed minority appeasement and exempted minority homes located adjacent to the RJB complex. The need of the hour now is to safeguard the RJB complex from further terrorist strikes. All the houses located on the periphery of the RJB complex must be acquired. The former government did not think twice in acquiring the mandirs, now why are they faltering when it comes to acquiring minority houses and that too for the sake of security of the mandir?"
Tavishi Srivastava / Lucknow
Muslim residents of Ayodhya have reacted with anger to the VHP's petition to the President and Union Home Minister, asking that occupants of houses on the periphery of the Ram Janmabhoomi complex be made to leave on the plea that they are vulnerable to jihadi pressure and hence a security threat. Nearly all the occupants are Muslims.
Haji Mehboob, a senior leader of the Babri Masjid Movement and president of the Anjuman Muhafiz Muazib Avadh, dismissing the move, said, "the VHP demand is totally unjustified. We are not going to tolerate this. We also plan to meet the President and Union Home Minister to put forward our side of the story.
The VHP can't be allowed to whip up a communal divide. They have already failed in their designs and have been exposed before the people of Ayodhya and Faizabad."
Saying that most of the houses were at least four generations old, he justified his stand by adding, "the VHP is simply looking for an issue since their efforts to encash on the terrorist strike have failed miserably for lack of public support."
There are about 50 houses and shops belonging to the minority community in the periphery of the RJB complex mainly in Duari Kuan, Karziana, Panji Tola, Katra and Tehri Bazar localities accounting for a population of nearly 3,000 families.
Ironically, when the VHP was meeting the President, the Nehru Yuva Kendra was taking out a sadbhavna yatra in Ayodhya to promote communal amity. However few seemed to notice the procession on Tuesday and many dismissed it as an "official exercise."
Sants and local VHP leaders however feel that the government should have acquired these minority homes long ago. VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said, "in 1993, the Narasimha Rao Government failed to acquire the houses of the minority community simply due to their appeasement policy. At that time the government did not hesitate in acquiring the houses belonging to the Hindus. Over two dozen ancient temples were acquired, some were given compensation while the others got nothing.
Even the stables of the minorities were exempted. This discriminatory attitude has now created problems for us."
Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, told The Pioneer, "an impartial assessment can be made. It is not an issue of Hindus and Muslims, but the earlier government had toed minority appeasement and exempted minority homes located adjacent to the RJB complex. The need of the hour now is to safeguard the RJB complex from further terrorist strikes. All the houses located on the periphery of the RJB complex must be acquired. The former government did not think twice in acquiring the mandirs, now why are they faltering when it comes to acquiring minority houses and that too for the sake of security of the mandir?"