Darkness At End Of The Tunnel

The much awaited and hyped outcome of the All India Muslim Personal Law Boardmeeting on Sunday ended with the board "expressing its inability" toaccept the "Shankaracharya proposal" and 'appealing" to the centreto ensure maintenance of status quo ante at Ayodhya and to ensure that nosymbolic puja takes place.

"The dispute cannot be resolved in a piecemeal manner. It has to beresolved in a holistic manner, in such a way that construction of the mosque isalso not delayed," said the unanimous resolution adopted at the board’semergency meeting.

The board said the Supreme Court would be moved against the puja plan butadded that it would not object if the court cleared the puja. "There will beno agitation," assured Yusuf Muchala, convener of the board’s legal cell.

The board said a  "glaring omission" was the absence of a writtenassurance from the VHP that it would abide by the court verdict. "At best, theproposals are ‘workable arrangements’ and do not offer (a) solution of theproblem in its entirety," the board said, pointing out that without the templeconstruction plans, it was difficult to understand the purported writtenundertaking given by the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas to the prime minister.

Of the 75 board members and about a dozen special invitees, only 67 chose toattend the meeting. While the panel managed to present a united face, it wasreported that there had been mutual suspicion in the air and charges of  asection of the board getting too close to the PMO.  Apparently, the youngerleadership felt that the board’s "rigid attitude would cost the communitydear", but the old guard was  accused those who met the Sankaracharyaof falling into a "trap".

While the centre’s appeal for expeditious hearing of the cases relating tothe Ayodhya dispute was welcomed, as a  member put it, "The key pointwhich everyone failed to address is: who is going to build the mosque if thecourt verdict favours us?"

Meanwhile, the Shankaracharya, described lately as the"architect" of the failed negotiations ruled out any further role with acategorical, "I have done whatever I can", when his attention wasdrawn to reports from Delhi that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board hadrejected his formula on the Ayodhya issue. "It is upto the parties who arenow negotiating to do their utmost'.