Will launch Ayodhya temple movement again: VHP

Ayodhya

Senior VHP leaders today said that the outfit will re-launch the movement for the construction of Ram Temple and request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give priority to the issue.

The president of Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said “We will again launch the Ram Mandir movement…our movement has always been powerful.”

Das was addressing a gathering at VHP’s local headquarter Karsewak Puram in Ayodhya on the occasion of “Shaurya Diwas” (the day of bravery) to mark the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992.

VHP has organised an assembly of about 300 activists in Ayodhya to give a call to Hindu masses to be unite for the construction of Ram Mandir, he said.

Das said that Hindu seers will soon be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request him to include Ram Mandir issue in his agenda as top priority.

Addressing the gathering, another senior VHP leader Mahant Suresh Das said, “We will try to meet the PM over this issue. If we get any positive response from him then we will wait, otherwise a huge temple movement will be launched on mass level.”

Rajendra Singh Pankaj, VHP Central Secretary, said “After RSS chief Bhagwat’s statement over Ram Mandir, it seems that now the responsibility is in powerful hands. We will soon start our movement for the construction of Ram Mandir.”

Togadia pitches for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya

Bhopal

Days after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, VHP leader Praveen Togadia today made a pitch for the construction of a Ram temple at Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

“I am hopeful that the way the son of Gujarat, Sardar Patel, got Somnath temple built, in the same manner, the son of Gujarat Narendra Modi, who is firm on will power, will decide about the construction of a huge Ram temple,” Togadia said at a public meeting here.

“If the need so arises, he (Modi) will enact a law in a joint session of Parliament,” he said.

Togadia said that a resolution for the construction of a Ram Temple was passed at BJP’s national executive at Palanpur in Himachal Pradesh in 1987.

“This (construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya) has a mention in BJP’s manifesto as well,” he added.

The VHP leader said he was “hopeful” that under the leadership of Modi, work on a Ram Temple will be completed.

“For this, Hindus must be ready to support Modi,” he said.

“On Shaurya Diwas (observed by Hindu outfits on Dec. 6), we take two resolutions; one: to build Ram Temple, and to establish Ram Raj,” he said.

Defining ‘Ram Raj’, Togadia said “it means employment to 10 crore youths, education to scores of children, free health facility to poor Hindus and well-being of farmers”.

Togadia said that VHP was providing education to children and free medical treatment to poor Hindus in a big way.

On December 2 in Kolkata, RSS chief Bhagwat had expressed hope that the Ram temple in Ayodhya would be constructed in his lifetime.

Ambedkar believed Ram Mandir is in Ayodhya: Gehlot

New Delhi

In potentially controversial remarks, Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot today said the architect of Indian Constitution B R Ambedkar believed “Ram mandir is there in Ayodhya”.

He said any further action on construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya will be taken only after the Supreme Court has pronounced its judgement on the issue.

“Ambedkar ji used to respect all people, followers of all religions. Ram Mandir is there, he believed in it. Though he never made any categorical comment on this but from his thinking on pluralism and respect for all, I can say his view was positive,” Gehlot told reporters.

He said any decision on Ram temple will be with be through consensus.

“Whenever there is mutual consensus and when the apex court’s decision comes, there will be further action. This we have said earlier also. We do not have anything new to say now,” Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, said.

Gehlot criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making deliberate attempts to weaken labour laws which was creating discontent among the workers.

“At a meeting of INTUC (the trade union wing of Congress) yesterday, Rahul Gandhi used words which had potential to spread intolerance…he said PM considers employees and labourers work shirkers.

“Prime Minister and I can never think like this even in our dreams. These words are not only an attempt to spread intolerance among labourers but are part of a conspiracy. I denounce it,” he said.

Maintaining that the government had taken various measures for the benefit of labourers, the Minister said raising the minimum pension from Rs 200 to Rs 1000, bonus from Rs 8,400 to Rs 16,800 besides Mudra bank and Jan-Dhan Yojana were part of it.

“We are making rules to strengthen labour laws for the benefit of the working class. Rahul Gandhi’s comments are baseless and deserve criticism. It is his immature of him to have said what he said. Saying it is his frustration will not be an exaggeration,” the Minister said.

To a question on intolerance, he said Rahul Gandhi and Congress party raised the issue “only to malign BJP”. Today, the Chief Justice has also said there is no intolerance in the country, Gehlot said.

He alleged Congress raised the issue to “disturb” the country’s atmosphere and to take “mileage” in Bihar elections.

Wading into the row over alleged intolerance, Chief Justice T S Thakur had said earlier in the day that it was a a “political issue” and that there was no need to fear till the judiciary was “independent” and the rule of law prevailed.

PTI