VHP to set date for Ram Temple construction, launch agitation in January

MEERUT: On the eve of the 23rd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said on Saturday that it would "set a date" and expect the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya by then. A VHP leader told TOI that they would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reminding him that it was the promise of the temple that helped the BJP ride to power. "If the government does not make its stand clear by January," he said, "the VHP will launch a fresh movement to demand the temple."

Subhash Malik, VHP spokesperson and district president in Shamli, said, "On Sunday, the anniversary of the demolition, we will hold a meeting to decide when we want the temple to be constructed. We will then write to the Prime Minister. We want a commitment on this front and if the government cannot ensure that then we will launch a movement in January 2016. The karseva is all done and now the ball is in the BJP's court. They must not forget that it was the people's wish for a Ram temple that brought them to power. They should honour people's wishes."

Malik added, "Ashok Singhal-ji, the architect of the movement, has passed away without seeing the temple constructed. The Modi government has been in power for over a year and a half and there is no progress on this front. The government has not even made clear its stand on the matter, let alone issue a notification." The VHP leader said his organisation does not agree with a 2010 verdict of the Allahabad high court that proposed giving control of one-third of the disputed land to the Sunni Waqf Board.

Sixty years after the matter first went to court, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC had said Hindus and Muslims were joint title holders of the disputed land in Ayodhya. While two-thirds of the land was given to Hindu parties, one-third was given to the Sunni Waqf Board.

"How can the court give land for a mosque? If they want to build a mosque in Ayodhya, they can do so on the other side of the Saryu river. The land is the birthplace of Lord Ram and we will not tolerate a mosque on that land," Malik said.