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Bajrang Dal supremo and now Bhartiya Janata Party spokesman Vinay Katiyar claims that a viable solution to the much-debated Ram temple issue in Ayodhya is in the offing and that it would 'amaze' all and sundry.
Katiyar's comments assume significance in the light of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's recent statement that talks were on to find an amicable solution to the temple-mosque dispute.
Virtually echoing Vajpayee's line, Katiyar on Monday evening told mediapersons in Lucknow, "I can assure you that the solution is going to be totally amicable and certainly, with the consent of Muslims."
Accusing rival political parties of 'politicising the whole issue', the Bajrang Dal leader maintained, "The solution would be the biggest surprise for them."
Katiyar had virtually spearheaded the Ayodhya temple movement in the last two decades and is among the key accused in the Babri mosque demolition case.
The demolition of the 16th century Babri mosque on December 6, 1992, had sparked off the country's worst communal riots, which left hundreds dead. A make-shift shrine erected immediately after the demolition continues to stand on the debris of the mosque.
Later, Katiyar was known to have initiated a dialogue with some representatives of the Muslim community to pave the way for an amicable solution to the long pending dispute.
Katiyar's efforts have not borne fruit so far, but he appears confident about striking a deal with representatives of the Muslim community who have otherwise been insisting on reconstruction of the mosque.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has undertaken a nation-wide exercise to distribute printed material in rural areas. "The idea is to create awareness among the masses about the status of the Ayodhya issue," claimed a source in the VHP.
However, it was evident that the whole exercise was to mobilise public opinion and rake up the Ayodhya issue in the run-up to the coming state assembly elections in the state.
The booklet titled, Somnath se Ayodhya tak (From Somnath to Ayodhya) talks about a legislation for the construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
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