Muslim board rejects Kanchi seer's proposal

LUCKNOW: Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati’s much-hyped Ayodhya peace plan got derailed on Sunday after the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) rejected his proposals, saying they carry ‘‘a veiled threat to the Muslim community’’.
The AIMPLB working committee, which met on Sunday at Nadwa College here, concluded that ‘‘the changing stand of the Shankaracharya has left no scope for further discussion’’.
In Chennai, the Kanchi seer reacted sharply to the board’s decision. The Shankaracharya said the AIMPLB should explain why it had rejected his proposals. ‘‘They ought to have spoken to me before going public,’’ he said.
The Shankaracharya said he would continue his efforts to resolve the impasse. Maintaining that there was no ‘‘contradiction’’ between his first letter of June 16 and the subsequent one on July 1, the seer said the board wanted only some clarifications and these were provided.
‘‘Why they rejected my clarifications, they have to explain,’’ he said.
Earlier, at Kanchipuram, he had said that he did not believe that his proposals had been rejected outright. ‘‘Discussions are on. I have received communication that they will be consulting me,’’ he said.
Earlier, the AIMPLB said it appeared that the seer had played into the hands of the saffron brigade. ‘‘The committee looks upon the proposals contained in the letter dated July 1 as thinly-veiled threats to Muslims to submit and surrender themselves unconditionally to all the unreasonable demands made by the Sangh Parivar.’’
The board said, ‘‘Such proposals are not only unjust and unreasonable but also totally inconsistent with the honour, dignity and self-respect of the Indian Muslims and, therefore, the same cannot be accepted.’’ Reiterating the stand that it has maintained since 1990, the board said, ‘‘Under the Shariat, the site of Babri Mosque is the property of Allah and it cannot be alienated by sale, gift or otherwise.’’