Inter-Religious Dialogue

the same spot. Furthermore, they managed to secure permission from the Court of Law to place idols of Ram Lalla in this new mandir in order to start darshan and puja. This incident is a clear indication of the public’s supremacy over the government. It is a final proof of the fact that in this country it is the public which enjoys a superior position, and not the individuals who have been elected by the people to form ministries for a limited period of time. Now only a person totally bereft of sanity can believe that the central government, which could not save the historical structure of the Babri mosque from demolition, would be bold enough to demolish the newly erected makeshift mandir, remove the idols of Ram placed therein, and then rebuild a Babri Masjid on exactly the same site. Most surprisingly indeed, even this incident, though it was as clear as daylight, could not puncture the unawareness of the incompetent Muslim leaders. As we learnt from the newspapers, on April 5, 1993, about twenty well-known members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board arrived in New Delhi in order to draft a memorandum by consensus. This memorandum demanded that the government remove the present makeshift mandir of Ayodhya and the idols placed therein, and rebuild the Babri Masjid on the former site. Afterwards this delegation met Prime Minister, Mr. Narasimha Rao, to hand over the memorandum to him. This is no doubt the worst example of anachronism. The greater lesson that Muslims should have learnt from the 6th December incident was to turn towards the Hindu Janata, that their efforts should all be directed to the Hindu Janata rather than to the rulers of Delhi. But how strange it is that the unwise Muslim leaders are still engaged in circumambulating Delhi. Given the state of affairs, the Muslim Personal Law Board’s meeting with the Prime Minister to press the demand for rebuilding the mosque at the same site is incomprehensible. Only their supreme unawareness can account for it. They are still living and thinking in the India of fifty years ago. They have yet to grasp that India is at present being ruled by the Indian people and not by an absolute dictator. Now it is high time that Muslims change their ways. Instead of looking up to the government or administration they should look up to the Hindu public. The Muslim leaders should meet the Hindu leaders. The Muslim people should develop contacts with the Hindu people. Opportunities for Hindu-Muslim