AMN / WEB DESK
Yoga guru Ramdev has joined the growing chorus for bringing an ordinance for early construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a two-day conference at Patanjali Yogpeeth on Saturday, Ramdev said that if the Supreme Court, which is presently hearing the case, does not deliver a verdict soon, a legislation should be brought in the Parliament to pave the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple.
“If the Supreme Court does not take a decision on the matter soon, then Parliament is the highest institution in a democracy and there is nothing wrong in bringing a legislation,” he said.
“What else will be built in Ayodhya if not a Ram temple? (Ayodhya mein Ram Mandir nahin banega toh aur kya banega),” Ramdev questioned.
The yoga guru also noted that there could be a few sections averse to enacting a law on the matter but there is no opposition to Lord Ram in the country.
The reaction comes in the backdrop of RSS and VHP mounting pressure on the Modi government to bring an ordinance to start the construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.
Earlier on October 29, the Supreme Court had said that an appropriate bench will decide in January when to hear the case.
Meanwhile, the RSS has hinted at a fresh mass agitation akin to 1992 for constructing a temple in Ayodhya. “We are confident that the Ram Mandir will be built soon. We have already waited too long for it and cannot wait indefinitely. If needed, we shall launch a ‘jan andolan’ (mass agitation) for the temple,” RSS general secretary Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi told reporters.
On the other hand, the BJP has dared the Congress to clarify their stand on the issue. Union minister and senior party leader Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said that the Ram temple is not a poll issue for the BJP but a matter of belief.
The Allahabad High Court had in its 2010 verdict favoured a three-way bifurcation — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, of the 2.77 acres of the disputed land. However, a total of 14 petitions were filed in the Supreme Court contesting the HC’s verdict.