Ayodhya dispute: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan rules out option of Centre introducing an ordinance
The Lok Janshakti Party leader praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that that his ‘government will wait for the verdict’.
Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party leader Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday ruled out the possibility of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre introducing an ordinance on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, PTI reported. Paswan praised Prime Minister Modi for saying that his government will “wait for the verdict” before moving forward in the matter.
The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, which was scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court on January 29, on Sunday was deferred due to the non-availability of Justice SA Bobde on the five-member Constitution Bench. A new date for the hearing has not yet been announced.
Last week, the Supreme Court had reconstituted a bench that was supposed to hear the case on January 29. An earlier hearing on January 10 was adjourned after Justice UU Lalit recused himself from the matter.
Paswan said the matter is a closed chapter. “I am happy that Prime Minister Modi has told Parliament that the government will wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict on Ram Mandir and act accordingly,” the Lok Janshakti Party leader said. “There is no question of bringing in an ordinance or legislation in Parliament,” he told reporters here to a question.
The Lok Janshakti Party leader said Modi’s decision to not speak on the matter “is good”.
Paswan’s statement follows comments from BJP leader and Union leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who on Monday said the top court should take up the long-pending matter as people have been waiting for a Ram temple to be built on the site where the Babri Masjid once stood.
A few days earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath claimed that his government will resolve the land dispute case in a day if the Supreme Court is unable to deliver a judgement soon.
Paswan also said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will be re-elected in the Lok Sabha elections as the Opposition’s “Mahagatbandhan” (grand alliance) has not found a prime ministerial candidate.