12-04-2004, 02:47 PM
Open to negotiations
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mahmood A Madani, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
I was a youth of 21 when the Babri Masjid was demolished. In the years preceding that unfortunate incident which has remained a blot on our post-Independence history, there was palpable excitement over the issue. Many people of my age-group were affected by the vicissitudes of those times. But today, 12 years after the Babri demolition by fanatical crowds in Ayodhya, much has changed. I don't see young people of today being swayed by rhetoric over a temple or a mosque. It is as if the nation has moved on. The youth of the 2000s is more concerned with burning issues like unemployment and corruption.
I think the Vishwa Hindu Parishad will be making a terrible mistake by trying to force a reopening of this wound on our national consciousness. It will not receive the support of most Hindus. Even the people who were swayed by their hate slogans a dozen years earlier will not respond to the VHP's new call. The secular ethos of the nation has been reaffirmed by the recent electoral mandate. This is now a cause only for a minuscule section of the population. The media will also be more objective than it was back then. Rabble rousing over dead and abstract issues will not people to take to the streets any more.
As a leader of the Muslim community, I am in favour of a negotiated settlement of all outstanding issues obstructing better inter-community understanding. Sadly, not much has happened in this regard. The years since 1992 have been wasted in making threatening postures by the VHP and elements in the BJP. This has convinced people that some people use the temple issue to keep their dukan in business. The BJP has recently raked up this issue after sleeping over it for six years. Out of power it has resumed making dangerous noises. But has it made even one substantial attempt at reconciliation and rapprochement? No.
The Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, made an attempt to seek a negotiated settlement. I am not exactly sure as to what were the proposals on the table, but this much is sure: It was a half-hearted move. Moreover, even if there was some headway from that initiative, the lack of follow-up action negated whatever gains it made. This has been a recurring story. Over the past 12 years many individuals have conjured up solutions, but these have not been made within acceptable frameworks. It is now high time that a firm, actionable plan is devised, something like a structured dialogue process. And, it is not enough to just start off such a process under media glare. There must be follow-up. Scuttled talks is worse than no talks at all. The court case can continue taking its own pace. But the VHP must behave . It should not try to communalise the delay at this stage. If it has a solution other than forcing the pace, we are welcome to a discussion<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mahmood A Madani, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
I was a youth of 21 when the Babri Masjid was demolished. In the years preceding that unfortunate incident which has remained a blot on our post-Independence history, there was palpable excitement over the issue. Many people of my age-group were affected by the vicissitudes of those times. But today, 12 years after the Babri demolition by fanatical crowds in Ayodhya, much has changed. I don't see young people of today being swayed by rhetoric over a temple or a mosque. It is as if the nation has moved on. The youth of the 2000s is more concerned with burning issues like unemployment and corruption.
I think the Vishwa Hindu Parishad will be making a terrible mistake by trying to force a reopening of this wound on our national consciousness. It will not receive the support of most Hindus. Even the people who were swayed by their hate slogans a dozen years earlier will not respond to the VHP's new call. The secular ethos of the nation has been reaffirmed by the recent electoral mandate. This is now a cause only for a minuscule section of the population. The media will also be more objective than it was back then. Rabble rousing over dead and abstract issues will not people to take to the streets any more.
As a leader of the Muslim community, I am in favour of a negotiated settlement of all outstanding issues obstructing better inter-community understanding. Sadly, not much has happened in this regard. The years since 1992 have been wasted in making threatening postures by the VHP and elements in the BJP. This has convinced people that some people use the temple issue to keep their dukan in business. The BJP has recently raked up this issue after sleeping over it for six years. Out of power it has resumed making dangerous noises. But has it made even one substantial attempt at reconciliation and rapprochement? No.
The Shankaracharya of Kanchi, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, made an attempt to seek a negotiated settlement. I am not exactly sure as to what were the proposals on the table, but this much is sure: It was a half-hearted move. Moreover, even if there was some headway from that initiative, the lack of follow-up action negated whatever gains it made. This has been a recurring story. Over the past 12 years many individuals have conjured up solutions, but these have not been made within acceptable frameworks. It is now high time that a firm, actionable plan is devised, something like a structured dialogue process. And, it is not enough to just start off such a process under media glare. There must be follow-up. Scuttled talks is worse than no talks at all. The court case can continue taking its own pace. But the VHP must behave . It should not try to communalise the delay at this stage. If it has a solution other than forcing the pace, we are welcome to a discussion<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->