All India Akhara Parishad President and mahant of the Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya, Gyan Das, who is talking with Hindu groups to arrive at a consensus, said he was still ‘hopeful’ of an out-of-court settlement. “Our efforts to resolve the Ayodhya dispute amicably continue despite the decision of some contesting parties to approach the apex court,” the mahant said on Thursday. Gyan Das, when asked about the decision of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)-sponsored ‘high-power committee on Ramjanmabhumi’ to go to the Supreme Court, the mahant said everyone was entitled to their his views.
Gyan Das skipped the committee’s meeting at Ayodhya on Wednesday to which he was invited, reportedly due to the differences he had with the VHP on the resolution of the issue.
“I am certain that our efforts will bear fruit in the near future, as we have been receiving overwhelming support from Hindu saints, Muslim clerics and locals of Ayodhya,” he said.
Gyan Das received a tremendous boost when the All India Hindu Mahasabha, one of the defendants in the Ayodhya dispute, also lent its support to the ongoing efforts to resolve the matter amicably.
The Mahasabha President Swami Chakrapani met Gyan Das at the latter’s residence on Wednesday evening and expressed his support to the efforts of the mahant and the oldest litigant from the Muslim side, Mohammad Hashim Ansari, for the out-of-court settlement.
He also asked the VHP not to ‘create obstacles in the way of the ongoing efforts’. Swami Chakrapani said his outfit would hold its national working committee meet in Ayodhya on October 31, during which the matter would come up for discussion.
The Nirmohi Akhara, meanwhile, has sharply reacted to the VHP-sponsored committee’s statement on the dispute saying the VHP was not even a party in the case. The Akhara has staked its claim on the entire disputed land.
