RSS welcomes verdict, BJP stays silent

NEW DELHI: The RSS has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict that declined to set up a larger bench to relook its 1994 verdict which held mosque is not an essential part of the practice of Islam”, paving the way for the apex court to hear the Ayodhya title suit from October 29. The BJP, however, officially refused to react, although Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the country would benefit if the Ayodhya issue is resolved quickly. “The majority of this nation wants a solution to this at the earliest,” he told reporters in Lucknow.

“We welcome this decision (to start the hearing) and are confident that a just verdict will be reached in the case at the earliest,” the RSS said in a statement.

The Congress reacted cautiously to the court ruling.“The All India Congress Committee has always maintained that we will respectfully accept the Supreme Court judgment on the Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case. We also want the government at the Centre to implement the Supreme Court decision on the matter,” party spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi said.


As an extra caution against attempts on polarisation discourse over the apex court judgment, the party has also restrained its spokespersons from appearing in TV debates on the verdict. Accusing the BJP of “always playing politics for votes” in the name of the Ayodhya issue, Chaturvedi alleged “the BJP always remembers Lord Ram only just six months ahead of every elections and forgets about him whenever it comes to power” andpointed out BJP was in power at the Centre for over ten years since 1996.