Guwahati, Nov. 9 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case and appealed to people in the state to maintain peace and harmony.
The Supreme Court in an unanimous verdict on Saturday cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting, Sonowal said, “We welcome the verdict of the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya issue. I sincerely appeal to all the people living in the plains, hills, Brahmaputra and Barak valleys of the state to maintain peace and harmony, upholding the tradition of brotherhood among all communities.”
He further said, “I am confident that people will extend their cooperation in this matter sincerely.”
Senior BJP leader and state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also welcomed the verdict.
“I welcome the Hon Supreme Court’s #Ayodhya verdict# on Sri Ram Janmbhoomi. I appeal to people of all religions to honour the verdict and maintain peace and harmony. We remain committed to the ideals of India”, Sarma tweeted after the court order.
In one of the most important and much anticipated judgments in India’s history, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi put an end to the more than a century old dispute.
The bench said possession of the disputed 2.77 acre land rights will be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who is one of the litigants in the case. The possession, however, will remain with a central government receiver.
AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal said, “We respect the verdict of the Supreme Court on the Babri Masjid dispute.”
In a press release, Ajmal appealed to all sections of people in Assam and the country to maintain peace and harmony after the verdict.
He urged the people “not to express any opinion in the social media that evokes negative excitement”.
