‘Ram’s work has to be done’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat hints at constructing temple in Ayodhya
The BJP, in its election manifesto, said it would ‘explore possibilities within the framework of the Constitution’ to expedite work on Ram temple.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said “Ram’s work has to be done” hinting at reviving the campaign for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, ANI reported.
“We have to do Ram’s work and we will get it done,” Bhagwat said while addressing an event in Udaipur, Rajasthan, according to Times Now. “This is our work. Ram lives in us, so this is our work and we will do it ourselves. Even if we outsource it to somebody, we have to keep an eye.”
Bhagwat’s statements come three days after the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected for a second term with a mandate of 303 seats. In the BJP’s election manifesto, the party had said it would “explore possibilities within the framework of the Constitution and take necessary steps to expedite construction of Ram temple”.
The RSS, which is the ideological parent of the BJP, has repeatedly called for the construction of a temple at the disputed land in Ayodhya. The RSS and Hindu religious leaders have called for an ordinance for the construction of the Ram temple. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan had said in January that the Centre will “wait for the verdict” of the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya land dispute and ruled out the possibility of introducing an ordinance.
The Ayodhya land dispute is currently under deliberation by a mediation panel, which has to come up with a decision by August 15. Retired Supreme Court judge FMI Kalifulla is the head of the panel, which also includes spiritual leader Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu.
The land in Ayodhya has been disputed for several years now, with both Hindu and Muslim groups claiming their right to it. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ordered a three-way division of the land on which the Babri Masjid stood before it was demolished in 1992 by Hindutva activists. The court divided the land equally between the Nirmohi Akhara, the Sunni Wakf Board and the representative for the deity Ram Lalla.