‘Build temple, worship places for other religions nearby in Ayodhya’

New Delhi, Oct. 2 (PTI): A group comprising religious leaders, activists and members from academia today proposed construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and also places of worship for other religions nearby. At a press conference here, former executive president of Ranjanmbhoomi Nyas Ram Vilas Vedanti, ex-Union minister Arif Mohamad Khan and scientist Vijay P Bhatkar concurred that such a step will foster inter-religious harmony. They appealed to different bodies related to the dispute to work towards resolving it. The press meet was held under the banner of Pune-based World Peace Centre (Alandi) which earlier in the day organised a day-long round table conference on- Need to resolve amicably the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue at Ayodhya through inter-religious dialogue. The participants also passed a resolution. In a statement, the organisers said the resolution called for construction of a Ram temple on the “very birthplace” of Lord Ram. The 67 acres of government-acquired land contiguous to that place should be released by the central government for construction of a monument -- Vishwadharmi Shri Ram Manavta Bhavan -- consisting of places of worship for Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism among others, it said. The resolution also proposed setting up of a steering committee under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the matter.