Monument to overcome differences at religious site

A right-wing Hindu leader, Bal Thackeray, has suggested that a dispute between the Hindu and Muslim communities in India over a religious site at Ayodhya should be resolved by erecting a national monument there.

Mr Thackeray, the leader of the militant Shiv Sena party said that both a temple and a mosque could also be constructed.

Mr Thackeray is among several Hindu militant leaderswhose parties are alleged to have been involved in a conspiracy which led to the destruction of the four hundred year old mosque at Ayodhya in l992.

Widespread communal violence and loss of life followed.

Correspondents say that with elections nearing, the Shiv Sena along with its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP, are seeking to appeal to a broader spread of voters.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service