Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Monday said “there should be no doubt” that a temple will be built in Ayodhya.

“Lord Ram is the master of this universe. It is obvious that when Ayodhya has his blessings, the Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya,” Adityanath told a group of religious leaders in Ayodhya, The Indian Express reported. “There should be no doubt about this.”

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Adityanath’s comments came after a religious leader, Ram Vilas Vedanti, declared that they will build a temple at the disputed site irrespective of the court’s order. Vedanti is part of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, an organisation of religious leaders that have been at the forefront of a campaign to build a temple at the site. It is one of the main litigants in the case, and has links to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, according to NDTV.

“Ram temple is an issue for every Hindu in our country,” NDTV quoted Vedanti as saying. “A temple will be built where Ram resides and we won’t wait for any court. If the court allows it, then fine but even if it doesn’t, a temple shall still be built. It is certain that the temple will be built before 2019.” In response, Adityanath asked them to be patient for some more time.

The chief minister also claimed that there will be several hurdles while building a temple at the site, especially in view of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “On one hand, they file an application in court to ensure that the hearing does not take place before 2019,” Adityanath said. “On the other hand, they talk of BJP not doing anything in the direction. Ultimately, whether it’s the BJP or any government, efforts will be made to find a solution in a Constitutional way.”

The case

On December 6, 1992, lakhs of kar sevaks demolished the Babri Masjid, claiming that the land on which the mosque stood was the birthplace of Ram. This triggered communal riots across the country. The karsevaks had claimed that the land was the birthplace of Ram.

Leaders of the BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, including LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, led the movement to demolish the mosque. Advani piloted one of many roadshows across India in 1990 to galvanise support to have a temple built at the site of the mosque.

In May 2017, a special Central Bureau of Investigation court granted bail to Advani, Joshi and Bharti accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

In 2010, the Allahabad High Court – which was hearing the title suit pertaining to whether Hindus or Muslims own the land on which the Babri Masjid stood until it was destroyed in 1992 – divided the disputed plot among the Sunni Waqf Board, a Hindu organisation called the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla or the infant Ram, who is represented by the Hindu Mahasabha. The Supreme Court is hearing appeals against this judgement.