NEW DELHI: Members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and others were detained by the police on Sunday noon, minutes after they set out for the Prime Minister’s residence to” ‘remind” Narasimha Rao that he had not kept his word on rebuilding the Ayodhya structure, They were released later.
Prominent among those detained were Ebrahim Suleiman Sait, Syed Shahabuddin, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi (all MPs), Syed Nizamuddin, Abdul Wahab Khilji and Zafvab Jilani.
Sait accused the P.M. of hobnobbing with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and charged the Congress with taking Muslims for a ride. He alleged that Rao was clearing the way for VHP as he had not mentioned the date and spot of reconstruction of the mosque. He reiterated the demand for rebuilding the Babri Masjid at the very site where it existed until its demolition on Dec.6; He also made it clear that a mosque built by a trust would not be acceptable to the Muslims. “The P.M. should resign if he is not able to keep his word on rebuilding the Babri Masjid,” he said.
Nizamuddin, who is the general secretary of the Personal Law Board, said the Muslims do not hold the entire Hindu society responsible for the demolition in Ayodhya. “Many Hindus are annoyed that the Babri Masjid has been destroyed. But the P.M. still does not respect popular sentiment,” he said. Jilani, who actively participated in the Ayodhya deliberations prior to the demolition of the structure, now holds the view that “the mosque should be rebuilt at the very spot it existed.” He too was disappointed with the P.M. for not announcing the date and exact site of rebuilding the Ayodhya structure.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 20, 1993
