Karnataka CM calls for harmony, peace on Ayodhya verdict

Karnataka CM calls for harmony, peace on Ayodhya verdict

Bengaluru: Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Saturday urged the people of the southern state to maintain harmony and peace.

“Let us all wholeheartedly welcome the apex court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute. This is neither a victory nor a defeat for anyone. Don’t react emotionally. Let harmony and peace prevail,” tweeted the chief minister.

Terming the unanimous judgment historic, ruling BJP state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel said the dispute pertaining to the birthplace of Lord Ram that persisted for over five centuries had been sorted out, which everyone should welcome.

Earlier in the day, a five-member constitutional bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, delivered the judgement in New Delhi, directing the central government to hand over the disputed land to the Hindus for building a Ram temple by a state-run trust.

“Members of all communities should help build the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, considering it as the construction of ‘Rashtra Mandir’ (national temple),” Kateel told reporters here.

Asserting that the top court’s verdict reflected the national consensus on such contentious issues, the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha member said the people of all communities should raise above their narrow interests and come together to build a grand temple irrespective of caste, creed and religion.

“The outcome is not a victory or defeat of anybody as it is based on social justice and constitutional provisions,” said the three-time parliamentarian from the southern state.

Kateel also lauded the people across the state for maintaining peace and harmony after the verdict was pronounced and hailed the state police for the foolproof security arrangements to prevent untoward incidents.

Opposition Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao hoped the ruling BJP would not use the verdict for gaining political mileage and conduct itself responsibly.

“The verdict should not be seen as a victory of any party or an ideology or organization. It is a court judgement and not by anyone. We respect it,” Rao told reporters here.

Hoping that the judgement would put an end to the decades’ old dispute among the claimants, Rao urged the people to maintain peace, brotherhood and work for the country’s development.

“We should all accept the verdict, which is no one’s victory or defeat. No one need to lose hope or make adverse remarks on the ruling,” noted Rao.

Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy exhorted the people to accept the verdict on Ram’s birthplace by the apex court.

“Let us follow the ideology of the country, which advocates peace and non-violence. Let us all live in harmony and focus on development,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Calling the top court’s ruling a balanced one, JD-S supremo and former prime minister H.D Deve Gowda said the people should have trust in the Union government to do justice to all the parties.

“We can’t blame our minority friends for what happened over 500 years ago when the Babri Masjid was built in the 16th century at Ayodya in Uttar Pradesh,” Gowda said.