Mohan Bhagwat, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, on Saturday said that “truth and justice” had prevailed and hailed the Supreme Court judgment on the Ayodhya issue.

The verdict should not be seen as anybody’s victory or defeat, he added.

The decision is in line with the sentiments of the whole country and the RSS joins the citizens in welcoming the verdict, he said.

At a news conference in the RSS’s central office here in Jhandewala, Bhagwat said: “We welcome this decision of the Supreme Court. This case was going on for decades and it has reached the right conclusion. This should not be seen as a win or loss. We also welcome everyone’s efforts to maintain peace and harmony in society.”

Welcoming the unanimous decision of the five-judge apex court bench, Bhagwat said that everybody should now forget the dispute, which had continued for many decades, and work together to build a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

“We wanted the issue to end, this has happened. All sides (of the case) were evaluated and truth and justice have been highlighted,” he said.

He suggested that the RSS might not take up similar disputes involving temple sites in Mathura and Varanasi, saying the organisation was associated with Ram temple as it had a historical background but its primary job is character building and not launching agitations.

“There was a historic background to the RSS being involved with Ayodhya, as an organisation we don’t otherwise involve ourselves in agitations and we will revert to our man-making mission,” he said.

Several right-wing organisations have often called for an Ayodhya-like agitation in Mathura and Varanasi, two other holy Hindu towns where they object to the existence of mosques.