NSA Doval meets religious leaders post Ayodhya verdict

New Delhi : National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a meeting with eminent Hindu and Muslim religious leaders on Sunday, a day after the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case, officials said.

The religious leaders pledged unstinted support to the government in all steps to maintain peace and order, they said. They appealed for maintaining peace and tranquillity amidst apprehensions that some anti-national elements may try to "exploit the situation".

"Those attending the meeting were alive to the fact that certain anti-national and hostile elements, both within and outside the country, may attempt to exploit the situation to harm our national interest," according to a joint statement issued after the four-hour meeting at Doval's residence here.

Religious leaders from across the country and members of the Hindu Dharmacharya Sabha and Vishwa Hindu Parishad attended the meeting. The participants lauded the government and the people for ensuring harmony after the apex court verdict on Saturday.

Settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court in a historic verdict on Saturday backed the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

"The interaction helped to strengthen communication between top religious leaders to maintain a spirit of amity and brotherhood amongst all communities," the statement said.