The Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute is just around the corner. As the issue directly involves matters of faith and is expected to spark communal tension, PM Modi has issued a directive asking his ministers to refrain from making any unnecessary remarks on it.
In a meeting with the council of ministers, Modi said it was everyone’s duty to ensure peace is maintained in the country. Even during his latest edition of Mann ki Baat radio programme, Modi had asserted how the government, political parties and civil society had collectively tackled the attempts being made to generate chaos in the country days before the Allahabad high court’s verdict on the disputed land in Ayodhya.
PM Modi also brought to attention that the verdict shouldn’t be viewed from the prism of victory and defeat. The comment by Prime Minister comes days after the ruling BJP instructed its workers and spokespersons to refrain from making any provocative statements on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. The party also told its MPs to visit their constituencies for maintaining calm.
A five-judge Supreme Court bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi heard the Ayodhya case on a day-to-day basis for 40 days and reserved its verdict on October 16. The court is expected to deliver its verdict on a dispute over the possession of 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya district in Uttar Pradesh before November 17, when CJI Gogoi retires.
Police forces in Uttar Pradesh and other states too have been put on alert ahead of the verdict. Section 144 has already been imposed in the areas surrounding the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.