DEMAND RISING FOR BUILDING RAM TEMPLE

Several groups are gearing up to mobilise mass support to force the BJP-led NDA government to issue an ordinance to facilitate the construction of the Ram temple.

The BJP-led NDA government is under tremendous pressure to bring in an ordinance in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, facilitating the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. Hindu organisations have upped the ante, asking the government to act fast in this direction, instead of waiting for a Supreme Court verdict.

According to sources, there is considerable “unease” within the Bharatiya Janata Party as pressure is mounting not only from party leaders but also from sympathisers, who have been supporting the party for long. “Many sitting MPs of the party are nervous as to what they will tell the people when they go to their constituencies before the Lok Sabha polls, seeking re-election. The party and the government did virtually nothing in the more than four years in power in this regard, except for repeating that they would abide by the court verdict,” they explained.

These MPs have conveyed their feedback to the top brass about the perception building at the grassroots that the BJP did not show any sincerity or commitment to the Ram temple issue, despite enjoying a majority in the Lok Sabha and a nearmajority in the Rajya Sabha. “There is disappointment even among hardcore BJP sympathisers, who feel that the ruling party should have taken pro-active steps on an issue which helped it grow in strength from two to 282 members in the Lok Sabha,” the sources said.

Though the BJP admits that there is a “strong public sentiment” in favour of building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, it says, “as of now, it is not imminent”. Whereas, lawyers believe that the government is well within its right to bring in an ordinance and that just because the matter is sub-judice cannot be an impediment to the said purpose.

To build pressure, Mahamandaleshwar Swami Satyamitranand Giri of Bharat Mata Mandir has threatened to sit on a fast unto death at Har ki Pauri in Haridwar, from 6 December onwards, the anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya in 1992. This comes soon after Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat “advised” the government to bring in an ordinance and Hindu seers and saints asked