Mudda panel ponders expulsion of cleric from All India Muslim Personal law Board, some feel it is a conspiracy to tarnish his image for supporting Ram temple

The Ram Janmabhoomi matter has taken a surprising turn after the president of the Ayodhya Sadbhavna Samanvyay Maha Samiti, Amarnath Mishra, accused Maulana Salman Hasni Nadvi of demanding money for building a mosque.

“I met Nadvi on February 5. We discussed the issue of Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi. He asked me to give a written proposal on the issue and I did the same, which was forwarded to everyone. He wanted to make another mosque like the one in Mecca in Ayodhya, and for that, he asked for 200 acres of land, membership in the Rajya Sabha and Rs 1,000 crore,” Mishra told ANI.

Nadvi, a former member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), was expelled by the board on February 11 for meeting Sri Sri Ravi Shankar without permission and ostensibly favouring the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Mudda, the daily current affairs show of APN, discussed the issue. Moderated by Akshay Tripathi, the guests were Congress spokesperson Ajay Verma, BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay, Art of Living spokesperson Archana Satish, Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi, advisor of Haji Ali Trust Mufti Manzur Ziayi, national president of All India Hindu Mahasabha Swami Chakrapani and APN’s consulting editor Govind Pant Raju.

Upadhyay said it is hard to believe that some close aide of Ravi Shankar will raise this issue. He alleged that this might be some conspiracy within the Muslim body to tarnish the image of Nadvi as he had supported the issue of Ram temple.

Satish said: “Amarnath Mishra is not a close aide of Sri Sri. Sri Sri has nothing to do with the issue.”

Maulana Sajid Rashidi said the Muslim Law Board respects the Court and will obey whatever order it gives. He added: “The meetings Ravi Shankar held outside the court to resolve the issue aren’t official. I have the letter of Amarnath Mishra with me. It has all the details of the people and the meetings he fixed with Ravi Shankar. This letter came out two days after the meeting on February 5. It shows two things. Either the deal is a fake one, or Mishra wants his part of the deal. Mishra’s words do not represent the truth. They should not be trusted.”

Swami Chakrapani said the cause that has been taken up by Sri Sri is pure and without any hidden agenda. He further said that if the issue is resolved through dialogue, it will only save the court’s time and resources.

Verma said the Congress is in full support of the construction of the Ram temple provided it does not disturb the harmony among different religions in India. He said all the parties concerned should let the court decide.

Raju said: “No government, state or central, or any politician has the power or the right to decide anything on the matter now. Court will have the final say now. The Supreme Court had given them time to discuss and resolve the issue outside court. They couldn’t do anything then. Now that the case has come up in court, they cannot resolve it outside court now. People are just trying to politicise the issue. As far as I know Amarnath Mishra, he does not have the potential to pay Rs 5,000 crore to Nadvi. I think whatever he is doing is to come to the attention of the nation.”

—Compiled by Usha Rani Das

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