Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday offered prayers at a makeshift Ram temple at the disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, PTI reported. His visit comes a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation’s court framed charges against senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and others accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
He also prayed on the banks of the River Saryu and visited Hanumangarhi temple during his visit to Ayodhya, ANI reported. Adityanath’s visit triggered speculation about the BJP re-prioritising its manifesto promise to build a Ram Temple at the disputed site. “No power on earth will be able to stop the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya,” BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj had told reporters during his visit to Lucknow on Tuesday.
The saffron party’s officials refuted claims that the chief minister’s maiden visit to Ayodhya was linked to the court case as it was a planned one, NDTV reported. His trip includes attending the birthday celebrations of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, an accused in the case.
On Tuesday, the accused in the case had submitted an application seeking to be discharged from the conspiracy charges, but the top court rejected it.
On December 6, 1992, the mosque was demolished by lakhs of karsevaks, who had gathered at the site from across the country. The incident had triggered communal riots across the country. The karsevaks had claimed that the land on which the mosque stood was the birthplace of Ram.
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