Swamy hums VHP tune, says give different land for Babri Masjid

With eye on the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have asked  the Centre to acquire the disputed site, where the Babri Masjid was allegedly demolished by VHP activists in 1992.

Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy joined VHP patron Ashok Singhal in raising the demand, saying that the party’s manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections had promised the temple’s construction and the Narendra Modi government should take steps in this regard. 

Asking the Centre to offer another site to Muslims, Singhal said: “The Centre should start working on this issue and offer another location somewhere across the Saryu river so that Muslims can also build a mosque.”

“The government for a public interest purpose can issue a notice to the Babri Masjid Muthwali (hereditary supervisor) for the acquisition of the land and building of Babri Masjid and offer (to Muslims) another site to build a mosque, perhaps across the Saryu river,” the leaders said. They said they will hold seminars after the Bihar Assembly elections, in which there will be deliberations on rebuilding the temple. 

Swami said he had already written to the PM on the issue and received an acknowledgement on the same.