Ram temple ordinance likely in winter session
Demand for statute to settle Ayodhya row grows shriller
As the clamour by the Sangh Parivar and the BJP for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya gets shriller by the day, the government is considering bringing in an ordinance and summoning a special Parliament session ahead of the Winter Session, which is expected to begin in the second week of December.
Sources revealed the saffron camp and the Sangh have received indications that the BJP’s electoral prospects in the poll-bound states, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, were not “exactly positive” and there was a need to consolidate BJP’s core votebank. The saffron strategists believe the move to send a “strong signal” to start the construction of the Ram temple could “consolidate” the BJP’s “shifting” votebank. It is believed that the beginning of the construction through an ordinance would give the BJP a “huge boost”
Please don’t make Hindus intolerant by talking about building a mosque on the outer periphery of the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya — UMA BHARTI Union minister
This is a matter which is pending for 500 years and people have some hope. People of India want that a grand temple must be built at Ayodhya. — RAVI SHANKAR Spiritual guru
In a stern message to the Modi government, the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti (ABSS) on Sunday demanded that it should either bring a legislation or an ordinance to pave way for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya before the Lok Sabha polls.
The samiti, through a ‘Dharmadesh’ issued on the concluding day of its two day long conclave, also asked the ‘Hindu society’ to unite for the cause and expressed hope that the Modi government will fulfil its wish of construction of the temple at the currently disputed site. It asked people to vote for those who protect “Gai (cow), Ganga and Govind (God)”.
Restating Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement made at an event in Rajasthan on Tuesday, the samiti asked people to light an extra earthen lamp on Diwali in the name of Ram Mandir.
To put pressure on the government and also to keep the issue alive in this election season, the samiti has decided to hold public meetings, ‘dharmsabhas’ and ‘dharmjagrans’ in Ayodhya, Nagpur and Bengaluru on November 25. Such events will also be organised in all the districts across the states later. Also on December 9, hundreds of saints will congregate in the national capital to hold a ‘dharmsabha’ to demand construction of the mandir.
The conclave, which saw participation of over 3,000 seers from across the country, also deliberated on other issues including a central legislation for cow protection, cleaning of the Ganga River and illegal immigrants and demanded early completion of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam.
Pressure is mounting on the BJP led government for early construction of the mandir, especially after the Supreme Court deferred the Ramjanbhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case till January.
Batting for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls next year, the samiti said “We are very hurt that there has been no resolution to the Ram Mandir issue, but we are satisfied with the central government’s work related to country, religion, culture and national security” and asked people to vote for those who protect “Gai (cow), Ganga and Govind (God)”. Though the BJP is yet to officially react on the legislation or ordinance demand made by the Sangh Parivar, some of its leaders have been ecohing views in favour of the demand put before the government.
While Union minister Giriraj Singh asserted that no power can stop the construction of the Ram temple, his colleague Uma Bharti said that while Hindus were the “most tolerant” people in the world, any talk of constructing a mosque on the periphery of a Ram temple in Ayodhya could make them “intolerant”.