Ravi Shankar visits Ayodhya; Former BJP MP questions his role

Ayodhya: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is in Ayodhya on Thursday to hold talks with Muslim and Hindu litigants, including Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Dharam Das, Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti, Iqbal Ansari and Haji Mehboob.

Former BJP MP Ram Vilas Vedanti questioned Ravi Shankar about his role in the complete issue. He said, "Who is Sri Sri to mediate? He should continue running his NGO & hoarding foreign funds, I believe he has amassed a lot of wealth & to avoid a probe he has jumped into Ram Temple issue."

Vedanti said that Sri Sri was never involved in the Ram mandir issue and hence, he should stay out of it. He said, "We have gone to jail for it, faced house arrest and have been fighting court cases ...Sri Sri does not qualify to mediate on the matter."

Ravi Shankar, however, has urged leaders from both the communities to come forward and find a permanent solution to this as he feels that Supreme Court may not give a long-term solution.

He said, "Someone after 50 years may raise objection to the Supreme Court's decision and hence this won't be a permanent solution," adding, "Instead, the community should come together."

Ravi Shankar's visit comes a day after meeting the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. Shankar, however, described his meeting with the UP CM as a 'courtesy call'.

Officials said that Ravi Shankar briefed the Chief Minister about his initiative to try thrash out a mutually acceptable formula to the long simmering dispute.

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Yogi said, “In India, nothing can be undertaken or accomplished without the mention of Lord Ram. He represents our faith and is the focal point of all the beliefs in India.”