‘Build Ram temple like Patel rebuilt Somnath’

Mumbai/ New Delhi: Pitching for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the earliest, the RSS Wednesday said the government should enact a law to acquire the land for the construction, just like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had rebuilt the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

Mumbai, Oct. 31: Pitching for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the earliest, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS) Wednesday said the government should enact a law to acquire the land for the construction, just like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had rebuilt the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

The RSS also urged the Centre to fulfil the "promise" made in 1994 by the then Congress government in the Supreme Court, saying it had agreed at that time to side with the Hindu community if an evidence was found of a pre- existing temple, before it was razed to build the Babri Masjid.

Talking to reporters, RSS sah sarkaryavah ( joint general secretary) Manmohan Vaidya said the issue of building a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh was not just limited to the Hindu and Muslim communities. He was addressing the media after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal Baithak of the organisation at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini in Bhayander.

“The Ram temple is a matter of self- respect and pride. Like Sardar Patel had rebuilt the Somnath temple... the government should acquire the land for the construction of the Ram Temple and hand it over for its construction. The government should enact a law for this,” Mr Vaidya said, replying to a question.

His comments came two days after the Supreme Court delayed the hearings in the Ayodhya land dispute case by setting the first week of January for the hearing dates to be decided.

The SC Monday said an appropriate bench would start hearing the matters related to the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute from January next year.