Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani feels “vindicated” about his Ayodhya rathyatra in the wake of the Allahabad high court verdict, and says he would prefer a negotiated settlement for the building of a Ram temple at the place where a makeshift temple now stands.

Mr Advani strongly supports BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s suggestion that Muslims can build a mosque “outside the complex” at Faizabad, on the banks of the Saryu river.
In an hour-long interview to PTI, Mr Advani, who turns 84 next month, said he did not want to appear “victorious” after the judgment and would not say anything that might ruffle feathers in the Muslim community. “Yes, I do feel vindicated because I believe that until 1989 the BJP was not part of this (temple) movement, which actually started in 1949,” he said when asked if the judgment had vindicated his 1989 Somnath-to-Ayodhya rathyatra.
Asked if the BJP and Sangh Parivar would now take the initiative for a negotiated settlement, Mr Advani said: “The way forward is an agreement between the two communities that this (construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site) should happen. Let them work it out.”
The judgment only made it obvious that the desire of “those millions” who wanted a temple to be built at what they believe is the birthplace of Lord Ram... will happen. “But it will be good if this is not just a court decision but also the decision of both communities together.”
The veteran BJP leader ruled out the possibility of the high court verdict egging temple protagonists to rake up fresh issues over disputes surrounding the Kashi and Mathura shrines on the ground that faith takes
precedence over the law.
“No, no. There is a sea of difference between the two. The reason for that is during negotiations (between the NDA government and leaders of the two communities before 2004), Hindu leaders had categorically told the Muslim side, which expressed such apprehensions, that since they would be voluntarily agreeing on a solution (on Ayodhya), that will not happen.
“We had talked about it then. I do not see this judgment (doing it) ... because, after all, Ayodhya has been an issue which changed the political history of the country,” he said.
During the interview, he did not want to go into the question of whether the high court ruling justified the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. Nor would he comment on whether the judgment diluted the demolition case.
Mr Advani still maintains that the day the Babri Masjid was demolished was the “saddest day of my life”. He said he always maintained that everyone in the movement who was in favour of constructing the temple did not want to do it forcefully.
“And when I have said this that I felt so distressed that day (December 6, 1992), the late Pramod Mahajan, who was with me, said: ‘Why are you sitting here in this mood. It is better we go to Lucknow’.
“I said OK. I left around 5.30-6 pm. I came to Lucknow and sent a message to the Lok Sabha Speaker that I am resigning as Leader of the Opposition. And my regret is because (when) a political party aspires to achieve anything, it seeks to achieve that by the due process of law. Not forcefully,” he said.