Babri dispute: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to visit Ayodhya today

A day after meeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Thursday.

The spiritual guru will visit the temple city to hold talks with Muslim and Hindu litigants, including Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Dharam Das, Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti, Iqbal Ansari and Haji Mehboob etc. 

On Wednesday, Ravi Shankar met Adityanath at the CM's residence and decribed the meet as a "courtesy call".

"The matter of discussion included issues related to farmers, wellbeing of poor and cleanliness," Shankar wrote on Twitter.

This comes a day after Adityanath welcomed Ravi Shankar's desicion to act as a mediator mediator between Hindu and Muslims in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi issue.

“Efforts at any level are welcome. But one side has always run away from the discussion table,” Adityanath said.

“The problem is not that there should be talks, it is that both sides should mutually agree to hold talks [as the case is in the Supreme Court]. It can give good results but intentions should be good,” he added.

However, Ravi Shankar's decision to act as a mediator for out-of-court settlement did not go down well with the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and All-India Babri Masjid Action Committee (AIBMAC).

The AIMPLB and the AIBMAC have said that Muslims will not shelve their claims on the land belonging to the Babri mosque. “We have not received any proposal for talks or any formula from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. We have already made it clear to the spiritual leader that Muslims will not surrender their legal right and rightful claim over the land belonging to Babri Mosque in Ayodhya,” said Jafrayab Jilani, AIBMAC Convenor and AIMPLB Secretary.

On the question of AIMPLB and AIBMAC rejecting his formula, Sri Sri Ravishanker clarified that “when no formula or proposal was sent to them then where is the question of rejection by them,” he pointed.

The Spiritual leader also held a meeting with VHP-RSS leaders, sadhus and saints involved in the land dispute in Ayodhya.

“We have told Sri Sri Ravishanker that temple of Lord Ram should be constructed at the 2.77 acres of land. We are ready to build a mosque nearby or any other place of their choice,” said Amar Nath Mishra, a senior VHP leader.

Significantly, the All-India Shia Personal Law Board has too sided with the stand taken by the AIMPLB.

“They want us to surrender our claim on the land in Ayodhya but Muslims in the country is with the stand taken by the All-India Muslim Personal Board and will follow the Supreme Court verdict,” said Maulana Mirza Yesoob Abbas, Spokesperson for the Shia Board.

This is not the first time the Art of Living founder has made an attempt to act as a mediator to resolve the dispute. In 2003, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar made efforts to resolve the issue but failed.