Muslim parties in the Ayodhya were reportedly willing to forfeit their claim to Ram Janambhoomi as part of a mediated settlement if adequate land was provided to them for the construction of a mosque on state expenses, the associate editor of Times of India stated on Twitter.
Sources said the settlement also factored in Muslim parties demand for implementation of Religious places Act, 1991 which mandated status quo of other religious places as they existed in 1947.
— Dhananjay Mahapatra (@toi_dhanajayM) October 16, 2019
Furthermore, the Muslim parties were reportedly demanding the implementation of the Religious Places Act, 1991 which mandated a status quo in other places where Mosques were constructed by Islamic barbarians after demolishing Temples as they existed in 1947. This would mean that Kashi and Mathura would be out of bounds for the Hindu community to reclaim in the near future if such a settlement was reached. The Hindu parties refused to participate in this mediation.
Though the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee (AIBMAC) convener Zafaryab Jilani said that he had no such information on any action by Sunni Waqf Board and the Board lawyer also said he had no knowledge of the same, the rumour itself points towards how the Muslim side is losing hope as far as the Ayodhya dispute is concerned and are now concerned about how, if the Supreme Court verdict is in favour of the Hindus, it would open a floodgate that the Muslims might not be able to stop.
If what is claimed by Dhananjay Mahapatra is true, then it shows that Muslim parties have already given up on Ram Janambhoomi and they appear perfectly aware of what the judgment is going to be. It appears evident from the manner in which senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan, representing the Muslim parties, had a complete meltdown in the Court earlier today. He tore off maps and papers handed over to him by the Hindu Mahasabha as he strongly opposed the party in the Supreme Court.
Moreover, there were reports that the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board had decided to withdraw its petition on the last day of the hearing. The Sunni Waqf Board has informed the Supreme Court through the mediation panel.
Thus, it appears the Muslim parties in the Ayodhya dispute have given up hope for Ram Janamboomi and are more concerned with maintaining their possession over what they already have as of now. Realizing that the verdict in the case will not be in their favour, they are trying to make a tactical retreat and extract as many concessions as they can in the process. However, the Hindu parties refused to be a part of this.
There appears to be genuine fear among the Muslim parties that the Ayodhya Verdict has the potential to open up the doors for Kashi and Mathura. Truth be told, the verdict should it go in favour of Ram Mandir does have that potential. However, it’s too early to predict what will happen in the future when not even the verdict has been announced.
There has been a slogan that has been doing the rounds for decades now. It goes, “Ayodhya toh bas jhaanki hai, Kashi Mathura abhi baaki hai.” Therefore, it can’t be said that the concerns of Muslim parties are not entirely misplaced. The Ayodhya Verdict does have the potential to open floodgates on the Temple reclamation project. There are endless lists of possibilities now and the future is uncertain. But one expects things to become clear in the near future.
