Mulayam`s meeting with VHP leaders will send wrong signal: Azam Khan

Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan said the meeting between VHP leader Ashok Singhal and his party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would send a wrong message to the minority community.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Monday said the meeting between VHP leader Ashok Singhal and his party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would send a wrong message to the minority community.

Azam said that he was hopeful that SP and his leader would not compromise with the image due to which he (Mulayam) and his colleagues reached to this place after long struggle. On August 17, Singhal and Swami Chinmayanand met the SP supremo here. The saffron leaders said they have proposed to Mulayam to work as a bridge between Hindus and Muslims to pave way for Ram Temple construction, and claimed the SP leader has responded positively. Khan said it would send a wrong message to Muslims. "Muslims across the world consider Singhal equally guilty for the demolition of the mosque," he said adding, "a wrong message was going to the community. "So much importance to such persons was not right," Khan said. "When a long time has passed since the demolition of Babri mosque and building of Ram temple on December 6, 1992 then what`s the meaning of mediation...Its beyond understanding," Azam said in a statement issued here. "Expecting anything from such people will be a big mistake," he said. A press conference organised on development agenda was delayed by two hours for the meeting, he said, adding that the manner the news was reported in the media has "revived the wounds of Muslims". In his statement, the minister said that if the mediation was being done to reconstruct Babri mosque it could be considered. "But a number of cases are pending in the court on the issue and without any final judgement reconstruction is not possible. The court has divided the site in several parts. It has to be seen that for which part mediation will be done with Singhal," he said. PTI