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Naqvi affirms that nothing unlawful will be allowed in Ayodhya

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has reiterated that the government is committed to ensuring that no unlawful activities take place at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

When his attention was drawn to reports that construction of columns and statues was on at other venues, the minister told UNI that this could not be stopped as it came within the ambit of citizens's fundamental rights. However, nothing would be permitted at the site in Ayodhya until there was a settlement of the issue.

Earlier, in an interview to the Okaz group of newspapers of Saudi Arabia, Naqvi said Muslims of the country were not against the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. He said the issue had lost all its relevance in the present context, and was only being flogged by political parties for political mileage as they had no other worthwhile agenda.

In reply to another question, he said ''the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party are not dictated or influenced by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.'' He also countered all propaganda that the BJP was anti-Muslim. He recalled that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had opposed the partition of undivided India at the time of independence. ''If they wanted a Hindu Rashtra,'' they would have ''welcomed the prospect of driving Muslims from India so as to give the Hindus a clear majority within India.'' This was the biggest proof that the BJP was committed to genuine secularism and welfare of the Muslim community.

Naqvi said his election from Rampur on a BJP ticket was indicative of the attitudinal shift among Indian Muslims. Rather than being stuck on trivial, artificially created issues, a realisation was dawning among the Muslims that matters concerning their socio-economic upliftment were of greater concern.

Referring to the recent series of nuclear tests undertaken by India, the minister said the tests had been motivated by a general deterioration of the security environment of the country as a result of nuclear and missile proliferation. Though India now enjoyed the status of a nuclear weapon state, this achievement was not to be used for aggressive purposes and was peaceful in nature and intent, he added.

The government had already announced that the country would observe a voluntary moratorium, and was now willing to move towards a de jure formalisation of this declaration. It was also committed to global nuclear disarmament, and ready to explore ways and means to check nuclear proliferation, use and production of nuclear weapons.

He reaffirmed India's long-standing ties with Saudi Arabia, a country that is home to 1.3 million expatriate Indians and said mutual relations between the nations would improve further with the passage of time. Naqvi also expressed his willingness to sign an information exchange agreement with Saudi Arabia to foster and encourage an exchange of media and information between the two countries.

UNI

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