Upset with Azam Khan, oldest litigant in Babri Masjid case wants Ram Lalla 'set free'

Two days before the 22nd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, the oldest litigant in the case has said that he does not want to take the case any further and would like for ‘Ram Lalla’ or infant Ram who is represented by the Hindu Maha Sabha to be “set free”. Zee News reported that Mohammad Hashim Ansari said, “that the people who are reaping political benefits are staying in bungalows whereas ‘Ram Lalla’ is living in a tent.” His prime objection seems to be to a statement made by Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan who during a recent speech had said that the entire was issue was a ‘dead’ one. Ansari took a dig at the Uttar Pradesh minister saying that he would allow Khan to pursue the case further and accused him of playing politics over the issue. “We are fighting the legal battle and Azam Khan is making profits out of it . How can Azam Khan term  Ram Janambhoomi “a dead issue” as a temple already existed at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Now Azam will pursue the case not I,” Ansari was quoted as saying in this report. “If Azam Khan thinks that the temple already existed here, he should pursue the case. After fighting the battle for 66 years, I think the issue has been reduced to just a political weapon," he said. [caption id=“attachment_1832429” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photo from the Babri demolition. AFP[/caption] Khan had  hit out at the BJP on 14 November saying the Ayodhya issue was “almost dead” as a “temple already exists there” and had alleged that the saffron party wanted to keep it alive to vitiate the atmosphere. Over the years the issue of the Babri Masjid has been politicised. The BJP has in the past used the demand for the Ram Temple as a political plank during elections to canvass for votes, often polarising voters. A deviation from this policy was only seen during the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 under Narendra Modi’s leadership. As an article in Firstpost had pointed out  about the party’s most recent manifesto, “in 2014, the Ram Mandir gets one, precise sentence that promises nothing, acknowledges nothing. ‘BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the constitution to facilitate the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya,’ is all that the party is willing to say.” Consider this in comparison with what it had said in its 2009 manifesto : “There is an overwhelming desire of the people in India and abroad to have a grand temple at the birth place of Sri Ram in Ayodhya. The BJP will explore all possibilities, including negotiations and judicial proceedings, to facilitate the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.” The Congress and other opposition parties too have made use of the Ram Temple issue in the past to get back at the BJP. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had in 2010 said that the land on which the Babri Masjid stood should be divided into three parts.  The verdict was subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court which admitted appeals against the judgement.