New Delhi, Oct 29: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday said it was "disappointed" that the crucial hearing on the years old Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute was deferred and maintained that the apex court seems to be "avoiding" to take up the title dispute for urgent hearing.
Shortly after the three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi deferred the matter for hearing to January next year, senior VHP leader Arun Kumar also directed his tirade against Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and said it is high time for "each of them to take a stand and be accountable".
"What is pending in the Supreme Court is a title dispute and when Justice Dipak Misra said that and dismissed all the intervention applications, we were hopeful that now the Supreme Court will hear the case and decide it. That would have been a great thing," senior VHP leader Arun Kumar told reporters here.
"We are disappointed that this did not happen," he told television channels.
To a pointed question on what would the VHP do if the government does not bring an Ordinance, Mr Kumar said: "We believe this government (led by PM Narendra Modi) is a government of Ram Bhakts. The BJP has passed a resolution for legislation in Palampur session in 1989, they have been our associates in this fight (for Ram Temple), so we look forward to them to implement their own manifesto".
Answering questions on the role of non-BJP political parties, he said: "It will be time for all the political parties to stand up and be counted.'
' We know a President of a major political party who is said to wearing a Janyu goes to Kailash Mansorovar in an advertised Yatra. In his election rallies, he is described as Ram Bhakt," he said in reference to the Congress President.
Making a veiled attack on West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Ms Banerjee, the VHP leader said "There is another leader who distributes money to all puja pandals, it would be time for each of them to take a stand and be counted".
He said an Ordinance or the legislative measure will be a genuine alternative route to resolve the years old dispute.
"Making a legislation is another way, a lawful way of sorting out this problem.... Therefore, the demand for a legislation is in no way any disrespect to the Supreme Court," Mr Kumar said.
He said when the then Chief Justice Dipak Misra was heading the bench and hearing the case, the Hindu saints at a meeting in Udupi had decided to "wait" for the apex court's ruling.
"Justice Misra retired in October and therefore we found that the wait was not worth it...," he said adding the new Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has also deferred the matter.
He pointed out that: "The Supreme Court which had time to sit on the night (on other cases) and late in the evening has somehow avoided to hear the appeal of a great public importance and which affects the tranquility, amicability and other things".
In that context, he said, "Therefore, there comes the other lawful way of demanding a legislation has been preferred".
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