Congress welcomes order, BJP keeps mum

While the BJP chose to keep mum on the Supreme Court’s decision to defer the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit verdict, the Congress welcomed the order.

While the BJP chose to keep mum on the Supreme Court’s decision to defer the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit verdict, the Congress welcomed the order. The VHP and RSS were disappointed.

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“We will wait for the High Court verdict to come and then react,” BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Congress media department chief Janardhan Dwivedi said, “The party has throughout believed that this problem can be solved either through talks or, if that is not possible, the decision of the court should be acceptable to all. From both points of views, this is what appears to be the sentiment of the SC order. Hence everybody should welcome it.”

The two main litigants Mohammad Hashim Ansari, 90, and Mahant Bhaskar Das, 82, said there was no scope of an amicable out-of-the-court settlement. But they said they respected the SC decision.

“The case is in the court for the last 60 years because it could not have been settled outside,” Ansari said. Mahant Bhaskar Das said: “If we have waited for 60 years, we might as well wait for five more days. We know that the matter cannot be settled out of the court…”

VHP leader Pravin Togadia, too, expressed disappointment. “The SC has stayed the verdict till September 28. Two days later, on September 30, one of the three judges, at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC which is hearing the case, is going to retire,” he told PTI. “We fear the judgment could get delayed indefinitely.”