Centre notifies trust to construct Ram temple
NEWDELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday formed a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, meeting a three-month deadline set by the Supreme Court, which in November awarded a disputed plot of land in the holy city to Hindu claimants who believe the site marks the birthplace of the revered god.
The decision, acclaimed by allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led government and Hindu religious figures, was announced in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in line with a court directive that a scheme be prepared before February 9 to form such a trust and the land be transferred to it for the temple’s construction.
At the same time, an alternative plot of 5 acres to be given to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board has been identified and was approved by the UP state cabinet on Wednesday for the construction of a mosque. It was not clear if the Sunni Waqf Board would accept the land, situated in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya district.
“I am happy to share with my fellow Indians that important decisions have been taken with regard to Ram Janmabhoomi. These are in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” Modi said in Parliament to chants of Jai Shri Ram by members of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) .
“The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra will be formed.
This is the trust that was to be formed in line with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court of India,” he said, adding that the entire 67.703 acres of land acquired in Ayodhya by the government would be transferred to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra .
“The trust will be autonomous and independent to take decisions on issues related to renovation and construction of the Ram temple,” Modi added.
Home minister Amit Shah said the trust will have 15 members, including one from the Dalit community. The home ministry said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra will have its office in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash neighbourhood.
Late on Wednesday, the Centre announced nine members of the Board of Trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra. Senior Supreme Court lawyer, the 92-year old K Parasaran, who headed a team of lawyers that argued the Hindu case in the courts, will head the trust. In addition, the district magistrate (DM) of Ayodhya will be an ex-officio trustee, who will be a practising Hindu. If the DM is not Hindu, the additional district magistrate will take his place as ex-officio member.
The eight other trustees named by the Centre were Jagatguru Shank jar a char ya Jyoti sh pee thad eshw ar Swami Vasudevanand Sara swatiJiM ah ar aj of Prayagraj; Jagatguru Mahadevacharya Vishwaprasanna Theertha Maharaj of Udupi; Yugpurush Paramananda Ji Maharaj of Haridwar; Swami Govind Dev Ji Maharaj, Pune; Vimlening dra Mohan Pratap Mishra, the Ayodhya Naresh also referred to as Raja of Ayodhya; Dr Anil Mishra, a practising homeopathic doctor of Ayodhya; Kameshwar Chaupal (Dalit representative) of Patna; and Mahant Dhinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara, a Hindu denomination.
The four remaining members will be nominated -- two by the Board of Trustees through a majority resolution, one by the Centre who will be an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer deputed at the Centre not below the rank of joint secretary; and one IAS officer not below the rank of secretary by the state government. The announcement came just four days before the deadline set by the Supreme Court for the trust’s formation was to expire. The apex court on November 9 ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed 2.77-acre site, bringing an end to decades-old litigation over a tinderbox dispute that had acquired political and religious ramifications. The court also directed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
Modi praised the people of India. “After the verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came out, the people of India displayed remarkable faith in democratic processes and procedures. I salute the 130 crore people of India,” the Prime Minister said.
The ministry of home affairs is learned to have prepared the framework for the trust to oversee for the temple’s construction. The alternative plot of land to be given to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Wakf Board too has been identified. The Uttar Pradesh state cabinet approved the proposal for allotment of five acres of land to the Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. State government spokesperson and cabinet minister Srikant Sharma gave details of the land in Dhannipur village. “It is located 18km away from the district headquarters, Faizabad, 200 metres away from the highway, and has easy access. It’s the best spot for ‘maintaining communal harmony as well as law and order’,” he said.
A spokesperson of the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board said a meeting of the board would be held on February 24 for a decision on the government’s offer.
In his address, Modi spoke of how all Indian citizens were members of one family. The PM urged “all to work in the direction of building a grand Ram Mandir”.
“We want every Indian to be happy and healthy. Guided by ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ we are working for the welfare of every Indian,” he added.Shah said the day was one of great joy and pride for the whole country. “For such an unprecedented decision that strengthens social harmony, I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he tweeted.
BJP chief JP Nadda said: “By announcing the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, the Prime Minister has respected all Indians. The dream of a grand Ram temple that every Indian had for centuries is going to be fulfilled now.”
Hindu groups claim that the disputed site in Ayodhya marks the birthplace of Ram and that a Ram temple that stood on it was razed to make way for the 16th century Babri mosque during the reign of Mughal emperor
Babar.The mosque was demolished in December 1992 by Hindu kar sevaks (volunteers), triggering a cycle of religious riots.
The decision to form the temple trust was announced three days before Delhi votes for a new state assembly, but the government denied any link between the two.“Nothing to do with Delhi. The whole country is not under elections. Let us not confuse the situation,” Union minister Prakash Javdekar told reporters at a press briefing on decisions taken by the cabinet. He refused to answer questions on the opposition questioning the timing of the decision, saying that he would not say anything from a government platform.He said the formation of the trust was a “historic decision to end 500 years of discord”.
Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, questioned the timing. “Announcement of it, timing is very strange. PM knows he can’t go out and speak as it would be a violation of the model code of conduct [in place for the Delhi polls] so he is using Parliament to make this announcement,” Owaisi said.Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted the decision sportingly. “Some people are asking about the timing. There is no right time for good work. Let’s make announcements for good work. I want them to make more announcements today as well as tomorrow, and there is no problem,” he told reporters.
The announcement of the temple trust sparked celebrations in Ayodhya and was hailed by the BJP’s partners. The chief priest of the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das, said: “Trust should have been formed a couple of months ago. Unless the trust is constituted, the temple cannot be built. I am happy that our wishes have been fulfilled. ”Mahant Dinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara, said, “The world has got united for the construction of the Ram temple. Lord Ram has fulfilled all our wishes. We all are one now. It is good that the announcement of trust has been made.”
The Opposition Congress said the Centre’s decision was an outcome of the Supreme Court ruling that had directed the government to form the trust. The government is “following the court’s instructions... that is their duty, but I only hope that the politics over Lord Ram should end”, party spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi said on Wednesday.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena is an estranged ally of the BJP, congratulated Prime Minister Modi
“It was mandatory for the government to implement the decision. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking steps to implement the court’s decision,” Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut tweeted Thackeray as saying.