A group of Hindu seers on Monday decided that they will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for early construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying “Hindus” have reelected him with a huge majority to complete the task.
Image Courtesy: ANI
Faizabad: A group of Hindu seers on Monday decided that they will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for early construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying “Hindus” have reelected him with a huge majority to complete the task.
The meeting was organised in Faizabad by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and attended by its national vice-president Champat Rai.
“Hindu seers will soon be meeting Modi to discuss the issue of early construction of the temple,” said Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. The Nyas is a trust to promote the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Das, who presided over the meeting, also said, “Hindus have elected Modi and (Uttar Pradesh chief minister) Yogi Adityanath for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. So, it is their responsibility to get a grand Ram temple built on the disputer site at the earliest.”
Reacting to the VHP meet, Dinendra Das, the Mahant of Nirmohi Akhara, the main litigant in the case from the Hindu side, said, “The VHP meeting has no relevance as the land of Ram Janambhoomi belongs to Nirmohi Akhara and we have worshipped Lord Ram there for ages.”
“We want the construction of Ram temple in a peaceful way,” he added.
The main litigant from the Muslim side, Iqbal Ansari, termed the VHP meet a “political stunt”. “The matter of Babri Masjid and Ram Janambhoomi is pending before the Supreme Court. We must wait for the final verdict,” he said.
Mahant Kanhayya Das, president of Sant Samiti of Ayodhya, said the Hindu seers believe that the Muslim community in India is “satisfied” with the Modi and Yogi governments.
“So both the governments must not waste time in deciding on the construction of Ram Mandir,” he said.
Champat Rai asserted that only BJP can get the temple built.
“This is Lord Ram’s birthplace. Foreign invaders broke it and we want it back. They will do it. Only Modi Ji will do it,” he said.
He also asserted that the solution of the issue is ‘already there’ but talks are premature.
Former MP and Ramjanambhoomi Nyas member Ram Vilas Vedanti also participated in deliberations and said, “Crores of people say Jai Shri Ram, hence it will win and those who betray Ram will lose.”
At the meeting, the seers expressed their resentment over what many termed ‘inaction’ of the BJP government to expedite resolution of the matter. “How long will Ramlala (the idol of Lord Rama) remain in the tent? What happens if a non-BJP government comes to power in the state? Should we be ready to face the bullets once again?” asked several seers at the meeting. One of the members of the Trust suggested that a delegation of the seers should meet Modi and ask him how long the Hindu community should wait for Ram Temple construction. The chief priest of the makeshift Ram Temple Acharya Satyendra Das said that the BJP had included the Ram Temple construction in its poll agenda but had chosen to forget the same after assuming power.
Vedanti said that with BJP’s return to power, the “dream of crores of Hindus” to have a Ram temple in Ayodhya will be fulfilled.
He also said that a mosque should not be constructed next to the temple but built in Lucknow instead.
“Seers will hold a meeting soon. Crores of Hindus want a temple to be built at the place where Lord Ram was born. However, the Supreme Court has said that a mosque too should be built next to the temple which we do not agree with. The mosque can be built in Lucknow. Amit Shah had said that if BJP crosses the 300-mark in Lok Sabha, they will build the temple. And now they have crossed it,” Vedanti told ANI.
He said after the construction of the temple in five phases, the idol of Lord Ram will be placed there.
“More than 80 per cent of the Muslims favour the construction of a Ram temple,” Vedanti said.
The meeting of the seers in Ayodhya deliberated on three issues– temple construction, abolition of Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and a law for population control.
In the middle of June, a large meeting of saints will take place on the issue of Ram temple. There is also a VHP office-bearers meeting planned on the issue of temple construction during Haridwar Kumbh later this month.
There seems to be a well-organized clamour for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, in clear defiance of the Supreme Court. And so, for the many who do not know what the original Ram Temple movement is and the many who may have forgotten the mayhem, eminent activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad presents a ready reckoner on what the Ram Temple movement really is about and why has it been so conveniently resurrected, twenty-six years later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AYIcj5iP9Q
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently said that “Ram’s work” will surely be done. The RSS chief, however, asked the people to stay ‘conscious, peaceful, active, and strong.
The Ram temple issue is currently pending before the Supreme Court but the BJP said in its 2019 manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ that the party would explore all necessary opportunities to complete the construction of the Ram Temple.
Few weeks ago, the SC had appointed a panel of mediators headed by the former top court judge Justice F M Kalifulla to explore the possibilities of resolving the contentious Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi land dispute through dialogue. The other two members of the panel are a spiritual guru and founder of Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu.
The mediators were given eight-week time by the top court to hold talks with all the stakeholders and file a report over the outcome of their mediation efforts. The report was submitted by the mediators on May 10.
The panel is all set to hold the third round of talks with the petitioners on June 17.
A five-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi gave the Supreme Court-appointed mediation committee time till August 15 to continue with its efforts to resolve the prolonged and strife-ridden Ayodhya title dispute.
As many as 14 appeals had been filed against the 2010 judgement by the Allahabad High Court that directed the 2.77 acres land at the disputed site be partitioned equally among three parties, namely; Sunni Waqf Board, Nimrohi Akhada and Ram Lalla (the infant deity).
CJP had also filed an Intervention Petition requesting that the dispute be seen as more than just a property dispute, but one that threatens the socio-cultural fabric of India. The petition was signed by over 30 eminent citizens including Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal, Anil Dharkar, Medha Patkar, Aruna Roy, Anand Patwardhan, Teesta Setalvad, Cyrus Guzder, Sohail Hashmi, John Dayal, Kumar Ketkar, Dolphy D’ Souza, Kiran Nagarkar, MK Raina and Joy Sengupta among others. Though our petition was dismissed we are happy to note that the SC has focused on healing. When the matter was referred for mediation in March, Justice Bobe had reportedly remarked, “We are looking at minds, hearts and healing if possible.”
With inputs from PTI, ANI.