Washington, June 11: Reflecting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's views, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said he favours a compromise solution to the vexed Ram Temple issue in Ayodhya. When asked for his latest views on the temple issue, Advani replied that in the past few days, many sections of political circles have discussed this issue and "I believe something can be done through compromise and consultation, which is better than a decision of the court. I will be very happy if it can be done through negotiation and consultations." A compromise, he said, will be a more acceptable solution than a court decision.
As Advani was holding his press conference in the embassy here, an organisation of Indian-Americans called Coalition to Support Democracy and Pluralism in India, which claims to be an umbrella organisation of more than a score Indian groups, organised a peace vigil outside the embassy in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. "The participants," according to the coalition, "included people from several religious backgrounds -- Hindus, Christians, Muslims. Many family members of the victims of the Gujarat riots took part in the vigil."
They included Zuber Jafri, son of the slain former Member of Parliament, Ahsan Jafri. Bureau Report