Shahi Imam raps 'secret' meet on Ayodhya

14 June 2003, 18:00 PM

PTI, New Delhi

Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Saturday criticised the "secret" meeting of president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Rabey Hasani Nadvi with Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswati on Ayodhya issue recently and said the board would not be allowed to "bargain" on the issue of Babri masjid.

Maintaining that first the Shankaracharya approached him through a "Muslim middleman" to hold a secret talk on Babri issue, Bukhari said in a statement that why the meeting between Maulana Rabey and Shankarachara on June seven in Lucknow was kept "secret".

The Kanchi seer, he claimed, had sent some suggestions through the same middleman for the construction of Ram Temple at the demolished site of Babri Masjid, which he had rejected insisting that the "negotiations should be transparent and open for all".