M A I N   N E W S

Sansad slams ‘Islamic terrorism’
Resolution on Temple today

KUMBH NAGAR, Jan 19 (UNI) — The crucial three-day Dharma Sansad’, which will decide the date for the construction of Ram Temple on the disputed site in Ayodhya, began here today with a scathing criticism of rising “Islamic terrorism” and religious conversions by the Christian organisations in the country.

While all-important resolution on Ram Temple at Ayodhya will be taken up tomorrow, today’s session passed resolutions on Islamic jehad and terrorism, religious conversions by the church and protection of holy Ganga.

In the resolution on Islamic terrorism, the congregation of sants, sadhus and dharmacharyas, directed the government to declare Pakistan a terrorist state and destroy all terrorist training centres in that country.

The Dharma Sansad also urged the government to expose the “jehadi character” of the “fundamentalist Muslim society” and put an end to all forms of appeasement of the Muslim community.

The resolution, moved by Acharya Dharmendra of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal, also asked the government to declare terrorism an act of treason and tackle terrorists and their sympathisers with an iron hand.

Demanding a white paper on the activities of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence, the Dharma Sansad also called for a ban on outfits “giving active support to terrorism”, such as Lashkar-i-Toiba and Fidayeen.

Shahi Imam fires salvo at Sangh
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 — The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Maulana Ahmed Bukhari, today accused the Sangh Parivar of playing “dirty” and “heinous” games on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi issue and said Muslim bodies cannot hold talks with those “who are themselves responsible” for razing down the disputed structure in Ayodhya.

“Mulk ke dushman aur Musalman ke dushman se koi baatcheet nahin ho sakti (there cannot be any talks with the enemy of the country and the Muslims),” the Shahi Imam observed in a hardhitting speech before Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid here.

Criticising the Sangh Parivar for trying to whip up communal tension and terrorising the minority community, he said “they (Sangh Parivar) should desist from throwing tantrums at the minority community.”

The Maulana also cautioned that if Hindus refused to obey court orders on the Ayodhya issue it would be difficult to make Muslims fall in line.

He appealed to Muslims to boycott any organisation which takes the initiative for out-of-court settlement of the vexed Ayodhya issue. “We will boycott such organisations and I will ensure that Muslims do everything to stop such negotiations”, he said.

Criticising the Sangh Parivar for its “persistent” stand that the court verdict was not acceptable in settling the religious dispute, the Shahi Imam said, “In such a case Muslims might say tomorrow that they would not abide by the court ruling.”