A supporter of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, carries a cutout of Hindu lord Ram as another carries an Indian flag during "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi on Sunday made a veiled attack on the BJP for not fulfilling its promise of constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya and demanded that the Union government enact a legislation, if need be, for it.
New Delhi, December 9 (PTI) Senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi on Sunday made a veiled attack on the BJP for not fulfilling its promise of constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya and demanded that the Union government enact a legislation, if need be, for it.
Speaking at a VHP rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, the RSS executive head said, “Those in power today had promised to construct a Ram temple. They should listen to people and fulfil the demand of temple in Ayodhya. They are aware of the sentiments.” Without naming the BJP, Joshi added, “We are not begging for it. We are expressing our emotions. The country wants ‘Ram rajya’.”
Thousands of people gathered at Ramlila Maidan for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad rally, which comes ahead of Parliament’s winter session commencing Tuesday. The title suit of the Ayodhya land dispute case is pending before the Supreme Court. In January, the court is expected to announce a date for the beginning of the hearing.
But as the dispute has remained unresolved for more than 25 years, right-wing groups are demanding that the Union government sidestep the courts and go ahead with the temple building. VHP president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje and its international working president Alok Kumar are also expected to address the rally.
Traffic police have issued an advisory detailing diversions in view of the rally. It said no traffic will be allowed on Ranjeet Singh Flyover (from Guru Nanak Chowk to Barakhambha Road), JLN Marg (from Rajghat to Delhi Gate), Chaman Lal Marg near VIP gate.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made at Ramlila Maidan and snipers have been deployed on high-rises. The VHP had carried out a door-to-door campaign to make the rally a success.
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Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, attend "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi[/caption]
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Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, attend "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi[/caption]
“It is a massive gathering which will change the hearts of all those who are not in favour of bringing the bill for construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” VHP’s spokesperson Vinod Bansal said.
The right-wing group had approached President Ram Nath Kovind and state governors during previous phases of its temple campaign. In the forthcoming stage, it will hold religious rituals and prayers at temples and matths.
The campaign will culminate at Prayag with a ‘Dharam Sansad’ of priests and saints. The final religious congregation will be held on January 31 and February 1.
Hindu monks, activists rally in New Delhi demanding Ayodhya temple
NEW DELHI, December 9 (Reuters) - Thousands of Hindu monks and activists linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gathered in New Delhi on Sunday to urge the government to build a temple at the ruins of a 16th century mosque.
The calls for a new temple in the northern town of Ayodhya come ahead of an election that must be held by May 2019, when Modi will seek a second term.
Most analysts expect his BJP to fare far less well than it did in 2014, and critics often accuse the party of using communal issues to whip up support.
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Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, shout religious slogans during "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi[/caption]
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Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, shout religious slogans during "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi[/caption]
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Supporters of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, shout religious slogans during "Dharma Sabha" or a religious congregation organised by the VHP in New Delhi, India, December 9, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi[/caption]
For the past three decades, the BJP and Hindu outfits associated with it have resurrected the Ayodhya controversy before elections, stoking tensions between Hindus and a Muslim minority who make up 14 percent of India's 1.3 billion people.
In 1992 a militant Hindu mob tore down the centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya, triggering riots that killed about 2,000 people across India in one of the worst outbreaks of communal violence since partition in 1947.
Most Hindus believe the warrior-god Ram was born in Ayodhya, and Hindu groups insist that there was a temple there before a mosque was built by a Muslim ruler in 1528.
Hindu monks want the government to introduce a legislation to pave the way for a temple, said Sharad Sharma, spokesman for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or the World Hindu Council, a group that has close ties with the BJP.
"It's an issue of faith for millions of Hindus who cannot endlessly wait for a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram," he said.
Both Hindu and Muslim groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to help resolve the issue. The top court has sought more time to give its verdict.
The BJP and VHP and their parent movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have asked the government to issue an executive order to build a temple, bypassing the Supreme Court.
Late last month, tens of thousands of Hindu seers, their followers and political activists had gathered in Ayodhya to press for their demand for a temple.
Ahead of Sunday's rally, police stepped up security, with organisers expecting hundreds of thousands to participate.
Uttar Pradesh, the state where Ayodha is located, has suffered repeated outbreaks of communal violence since Yogi Adityanath, a BJP hardliner seen as a potential successor to Modi, became chief minister last year.
Earlier this month, a senior police officer and another man were killed in violent protests in the state over reports that a cow, an animal sacred in Hindu culture, had been slaughtered.
