Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati on Tuesday dismissed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's deadline for handing over the undisputed land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas before the dharam sansad meeting on February 22.

He also hoped that the Supreme Court verdict on the Centre's plea to lift the stay on the undisputed land would pave the way for resolving the Ayodhya dispute.

"The VHP has no right to... call for any direct action," he said in Hyderabad.

He said VHP was supposed to promote Hindu dharma. "Ours is a body that also has representatives from the Muslim community. We believe in justice. As a religious man, I am doing my duty."

Asked if he agreed with the stand taken by the Muslim Personal Law Board, he said its agenda was only to resolve the individual disputes of the Muslims as per Islamic law. "It has no perspective or locus standi to deliberate on general issues like the present one."

He said he was not going to Delhi or participating in the dharam sansad. He also did not have plans to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "My job will not be complete till I bring Muslims and Hindus closer to resolve the contentious issue," he said.

The Shankaracharya denied that the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham was getting involved in political issues. "Ayodhya is a religious issue and not a political one. It should be resolved amicably but the legal hurdles need to be cleared first."