On May 19, three days after the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections became official, the former international president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Ashok Singhal, met Narendra Modi with a request. Singhal asked the prime minister to announce a plan to develop the ghats along the Sarayu river in Ayodhya, following the template being adopted for the river Ganga in Varanasi, Modi's Lok Sabha constituency.
Singhal reportedly argued that such an announcement, though falling short of the VHP’s stated goal of constructing of a grand temple to Lord Rama at the site that once contained the Babri Masjid, would send a clear signal regarding the new government’s commitment to “secure Ayodhya for Hindus”. It would also allow the VHP to kick off the golden jubilee celebration of its foundation, which will take place in August, on a triumphant note.
However, a highly placed source told Scroll.in that though Modi patiently heard the VHP leader out, he refused to make any commitments regarding the Sarayu. The VHP and BJP are sister organisations, both belonging to the political network known as the Sangh Parivar.
On May 28, Singhal visited Keshav Kunj, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s office in Delhi, where he met with senior RSS leaders to press his cause. What transpired at this meeting has not been disclosed. But it seems the RSS has backed Modi’s decision to stay away from Ayodhya for the moment, even though the BJP made a commitment in its manifesto to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The setback has come at an awkward moment for the VHP, which is planning an elaborate celebration to mark 50 years of its existence. The construction of the temple is a particularly important issue for its leadership, because much of its ground support came via the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation.
“Starting August 17, a series of meetings and prayers have been planned to mark the golden jubilee celebrations,” the VHP’s national spokesperson Prakash Sharma told Scroll.in. “They will go on for one year."
The celebrations will start with a meeting of sadhus and VHP leaders at Mumbai on August 17, the day of Krishna Janmashtami. “On that day, the VHP will also organise processions at block level in different parts of the country,” Sharma said.
The VHP was founded in Mumbai, in 1964, on Krishna Janmashtami. In its first two decades, the organisation failed to make a significant impression on national life.
It was only in 1984 that the VHP was given fresh impetus by its parent organisation the RSS, which placed it at the forefront of the movement to build a temple where the Babri Masjid stood. Since the destruction of the mosque in 1992, the VHP has played an increasingly visible role in national affairs.
Yet the VHP maintains there is no dispute with Modi or the BJP. “Let the Narendra Modi government settle down first,” said Sharma. “We hope the government will fulfill its promise of facilitating the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
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Singhal reportedly argued that such an announcement, though falling short of the VHP’s stated goal of constructing of a grand temple to Lord Rama at the site that once contained the Babri Masjid, would send a clear signal regarding the new government’s commitment to “secure Ayodhya for Hindus”. It would also allow the VHP to kick off the golden jubilee celebration of its foundation, which will take place in August, on a triumphant note.
However, a highly placed source told Scroll.in that though Modi patiently heard the VHP leader out, he refused to make any commitments regarding the Sarayu. The VHP and BJP are sister organisations, both belonging to the political network known as the Sangh Parivar.
On May 28, Singhal visited Keshav Kunj, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s office in Delhi, where he met with senior RSS leaders to press his cause. What transpired at this meeting has not been disclosed. But it seems the RSS has backed Modi’s decision to stay away from Ayodhya for the moment, even though the BJP made a commitment in its manifesto to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The setback has come at an awkward moment for the VHP, which is planning an elaborate celebration to mark 50 years of its existence. The construction of the temple is a particularly important issue for its leadership, because much of its ground support came via the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation.
“Starting August 17, a series of meetings and prayers have been planned to mark the golden jubilee celebrations,” the VHP’s national spokesperson Prakash Sharma told Scroll.in. “They will go on for one year."
The celebrations will start with a meeting of sadhus and VHP leaders at Mumbai on August 17, the day of Krishna Janmashtami. “On that day, the VHP will also organise processions at block level in different parts of the country,” Sharma said.
The VHP was founded in Mumbai, in 1964, on Krishna Janmashtami. In its first two decades, the organisation failed to make a significant impression on national life.
It was only in 1984 that the VHP was given fresh impetus by its parent organisation the RSS, which placed it at the forefront of the movement to build a temple where the Babri Masjid stood. Since the destruction of the mosque in 1992, the VHP has played an increasingly visible role in national affairs.
Yet the VHP maintains there is no dispute with Modi or the BJP. “Let the Narendra Modi government settle down first,” said Sharma. “We hope the government will fulfill its promise of facilitating the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.