Government must come out with ordinance on Ram temple in Budget Session: VHP chief

By Brajendra Nath Singh

New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) Unfazed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that the government will wait for the Supreme Court ruling on a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the VHP on Tuesday said the government should come out with an ordinance in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Working President Alok Kumar said the VHP would hold talks with spiritual leaders to chalk out a strategy on the Ram temple issue at the "Dharam Sansad" to be held at the Prayagraj Kumbh this month-end to put pressure on the government.

"The VHP is committed to fight for Ram Temple till we achieve success. The strategy and programmes are chalked out by sants. We have called a meeting of Dharam Sansad between January 31 and February 1. It will decide how to take forward the fight," Kumar told IANS in an interview.

Asked about the Prime Minister's statement on the issue, he said: "We have a right to continue to persuade him to our point of view, to frame a law. They have to pass a legislation and they have the February session to do it. We will place the whole situation before the sants and let the sants decide for us."

He said that the government had brought an ordinance for triple talaq, which was good, but it should bring one on Ram temple too as the country cannot wait till eternity for it.

"It's already 69 long years. Can't wait till eternity. The Supreme Court is not even beginning to hear it... Therefore, we ask the government to find out the alternative method of legislation," he said.

The VHP President said that Hindus were still emotionally attached to the issue like they were in 1990s. But he refused to speak on political repercussions in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls if the government failed to bring a legislation.

"The public meetings we held all over the country have shown an exceptionally enthusiastic response. We are sure that the issue has resonance with the general Hindu society. But whether it has impact on the elections or not, this is something I do not calculate," he said.

Asked how the issue may impact BJP's prospects in Uttar Pradesh, if the BJP failed to fulfil its election promise ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he said construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya was an issue for national "regeneration" and he does not know whether it will have an impact on election or not.

"There is a BJP government in the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, they should take steps for the construction of a Ram temple."

He hit out at the Congress for creating hurdles in the court over the issue. Kumar cited two evidences of that and accused the Congress of trying to put pressure on the judiciary to delay the temple construction.

"Kapil Sibal was a Minister in the UPA government and he is a prominent Congress leader. He appeared for Sunni Waqf Board in the Supreme Court and wanted the hearing to be postponed till the Lok Sabha elections. They brought an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice on frivolous grounds. This proves that they tried to build up pressure on the judiciary to delay a ruling," he said.

On Congress President Rahul Gandhi's temple visits, Kumar said: "I am certainly suspicious of his new found love for temples. We have not seen it decades. He suddenly declares that he wears a 'janeu'. Then the publicity department arranges a visit to Kailash Mansarovar. Then he declares his 'gotra'. Honestly, I do not know if it is a change of heart. But a propaganda is built up around it, and makes me suspicious," he said.

The VHP leader, however, welcomed the Rajasthan government's decision to honour those who adopt stray cows on Independence Day and Republic Day.

"This is a good thing and we support it. We believe that all governments irrespective of their colour should work towards the cause including cow protection."

The VHP's Board of Trustees, which would meet on the sidelines of Kumbh in Prayag Raj from January 17, would take stock of the current situation, its performance in the last six months and the problems faced by Hindus.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)