The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday rejected Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's suggestion of a negotiated settlement of Ayodhya issue, even as Bharatiya Janata Party welcomed it.

On Sunday, Vajpayee said the government wanted a solution (to the Ayodhya tangle) either through talks between religious and social leaders of the two communities or through the court.

The VHP said the only way to resolve the tangle was the enactment of a law by Parliament for the construction of a temple.

"At this juncture, this seems to be the only plausible solution," party president Ashok Singhal said. "VHP wants construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya and will not settle for anything less than that," he added.

BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "We welcome the remarks by the Prime Minister as they are positive and the party has never considered it to be a political issue."

PTI