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Congress, allies may move court over temple construction

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Concrete indications emerged today that the Congress and other 'secular parties' are likely to seek judicial intervention to stop the temple construction work at Ayodhya by members of the Sangh Parivar which, they claimed, was against national interest.

Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi's assertion today that in his party's opinion, the temple construction work at Ayodhya, which was going on at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other members of the Sangh Parivar, "would incite communal passions and result in the breakdown of law and order", indicated that his party was appraising the political situation and was in touch with other' secular parties in a bid to prevent any mischief in Ayodhya.

Jogi pointed out that the Congress leadership's consultations with the other non-BJP parties would bring out a proposal which would satisfy all those perturbed over the situation in Ayodhya. It indicated that the Congress, along with the 'secular' parties, was gearing up to go to court to stop the temple construction work in Ayodhya.

The other party spokesman, Salman Khursheed, who is also a legal practitioner, is in touch with other legal luminaries in the Congress to chalk out a strategy for going to court over the matter. It is understood that several opposition leaders are also exploring avenues which would give them legal redress on the Ayodhya issue.

Jogi pointed out that his party had always held that until and unless the court decided on the Ayodhya issue, the status quo should not be upset, and that the ongoing temple construction work should be immediately discontinued.

Khursheed drew reporters' attention to the recent statement of senior BJP leader Krishan Lal Sharma, that a grand temple at Ayodhya was very much on the BJP's agenda and that it would be constructed legally. He said this showed that the BJP was determined to go ahead with the construction of the temple and that there was a distinct possibility of the saffron party defying the court if it got a negative verdict. All secular parties must come forward to prevent the flaring up of communal tensions as had been witnessed following the demolition of the Babri masjid, Khursheed said, adding that it would irretrievably damage the secular fabric of the country.

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