The Left parties have been consistently advocating that the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babari Masjid dispute should be resolved by a mutually agreed settlement by both sides, and failing this the matter should be left to the verdict of the court which should be respected by all concerned.

A legislation should be enacted by Parliament to ensure that the status-quo with regard to religious places of worship as on August 15, 1947, will be maintained undisturbed.

The Left parties are unable to share the optimism that the dispute can be resolved by going into the archaeological evidence. The very nature of archaeological findings are such that it is open to different historical interpretations; therefore it cannot be the basis to come to any definitive conclusions and to pronounce a verdict on the issue.

In such a situation, any reference to the Supreme Court to determine solely whether there was a temple or mosque at the disputed site originally, will not help to resolve the issue. If a negotiated settlement is not possible, both sides should agree to take the entire gamut of cases now before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court to the Supreme Court for a speedy decision. A special bench constituted for the purpose may go into the case and come to a decision.