New Delhi, June 09: VHP today expressed serious reservations over the Kanchi Shankaracharya's suggestions to resolve the Ayodhya imbroglio even as RSS expressed "confidence" that the Seer would keep in mind the views of the Sangh Parivar while pursuing his efforts. "The Kanchi Seer's proposal to allow Muslims to hold prayers in hundreds of mosques protected by the Archaeological Survey of India in lieu of the Ayodhya settlement is totally unacceptable to us," VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore told a news agency from Ayodhya, where the outfit is holding a special campaign for the Ram temple movement. On the pontiff's assertion that the Muslims have agreed to hand over the land to Hindu religious heads and not "political organisations", Kishore said, "Mahant Paramhamsa Ramachandra Dass and Nritya Gopal Das of Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (trust backed by VHP) too are revered religious leaders. Let them hand over the land to these leaders." He also wondered what the Seer proposed to do with the carved stones and pillars prepared by the VHP for the temple. "Will the Seer be building fresh ones or compensating us," asked an apparently agitated Kishore. Meanwhile, taking a cautious stand, RSS expressed hope that the Seer's mission for a negotiated settlement of the issue would succeed and expressed confidence that he would keep in mind "our views" during the talks. "The Kanchi Seer is of the view that a negotiated settlement is possible. If it succeeds, well and good. We will await the outcome," RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said. The RSS, he said, was regularly in touch with the Shankaracharya and was "confident" that he will "keep our views in mind" during the negotiations. Madhav also hoped that the Kanchi Seer would keep in mind that organisations in Sangh Parivar have been "actively involved" in the Ram temple movement since the beginning. Asked about the views of the Seer and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that politicians should keep off the Ayodhya issue, the RSS spokesman said: "We have always felt that if the issue cannot be settled through negotiations or courts, the third option of legislation should be explored and invariably that would involve the politicians."

Moreover, VHP has also collected signatures of about 100 MPs in support of a legislation to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple, he said.

Bureau Report