1st time in 30 yrs, VHP stops carving of stones

Ayodhya, Nov. 7: In anticipation of the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has stopped stone carving work for the construction of a Ram Temple here for the first time since 1990. All the artisans involved in the work have returned to their homes, said VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma. He said that the decision to stop the carving has been taken by top leaders of the VHP, a Hindu right-wing organization that has been at the forefront of the movement demanding the construction of a “grand temple” dedicated to Lord Ram at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid. The Supreme Court is expected to announce its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid demolition case by November 17, the day of retirement of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who heads the fivejudge bench that heard arguments in the case. “We have stopped the carving of stones and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas will decide when the carving will be restarted,” Mr Sharma said. “All our proposed programmes regarding different activities of our outfits have been cancelled keeping in view the upcoming Ayodhya verdict,” he said.

The carving of stones for the construction of a Ram Temple was started by the VHP at the Ram Mandir Nirmaan Karyashala here in 1990 when Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party was Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The carving work by artisans had been carried out uninterrupted since then.

According to the VHP, 1.25 lakh cubic foot of stone has already been carved. The organisation claims that stone work sufficient for the first floor of the proposed temple is ready and that 1.75 lakh cubic foot stone for the rest of the structure is still to be carved. Ahead of the judgement on the contentious issue, the VHP has also appealed to its cadres to remain calm and restrain from creating an atmosphere of celebratory frenzy.

In a letter to its workers, VHP central vicepresident Champat Rai said, “This (the verdict) should not be a matter of Hindus and Muslims. It is about accepting the truth. So, do not create a celebratory frenzy in society and nobody should be taunted.”