By Dr A R Mookhi,
The Ayodhya dispute is as unsolved as ever. One shudders at the possibility of the post-verdict remarkable communal peace suddenly snapping. The three way division of the loaf has left everyone hungry.
The immediate resolution of dispute is more necessary than it ever was. The UPA government whose duty it is to take steps to prevent communal mobilization has washed its hands of the issue. It is an unpardonable dereliction. This in spite of the fact that the BJP, off and on, has been pleading with ruling Congress to facilitate dialogue between the two communities to end the dispute. Raj Nath Singh, in 2005, made such a request. Vinay Katyar pleaded with Congress last month to join in the process of dialogue to solve this vexed problem.
Speaking on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebration of the BJP, Mr Advani has stated, “but for the fact that the party could not remain in power at Delhi, the Ram Mandir would have materialized at Ayodhya.” He asserts that the talks to resolve the Ayodhya dispute had been at an advanced stage in the last year of NDA’s tenure and that an enduring solution was possible through an agreement between two communities. Mr Advani has remained silent on who were the participants and what was the nature of the talks that had reached an advanced stage. He is also silent on what sort of “an atmosphere of mutual trust” was created during these talks and how. He will be doing a great service to the nation if he can still pick up the threads from where they were left with whoever participated in the talks. There is no need to be in power to pursue this noble goal.