Yoga guru Ramdev on Friday urged the National Democratic Alliance government to bring in an ordinance in Parliament to ensure the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya as he said the Supreme Court is causing delays, ANI reported.
“The Supreme Court is delaying the matter. No hope is seen from that side,” he said. “Only one option is left, that is to bring an ordinance in the Parliament to start construction of the temple.”
“If the temple was built without the Supreme Court’s order or ordinance in the Parliament, then law and order will get disrupted,” he said.
The Supreme Court had on October 29 adjourned the case to January. The court is hearing a batch of petitions challenging a 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that ordered a three-way division of the land in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on which the Babri Masjid stood before Hindutva activists demolished it on December 6, 1992. The High Court divided the land – on which Hindutva leaders want to build a Ram temple – equally between the Nirmohi Akhara, the Sunni Wakf Board and the representative for the deity, Ram Lalla, or the infant Ram.
Ramdev’s remarks echo those of several Hindutva outfits pushing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government to bring about a legislation for the temple in the Winter Session of Parliament. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu religious leaders have asked the government to pass an ordinance for the construction of the temple. RSS General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi has said the Sangh Parivar will not hesitate to launch an agitation for the temple, like it did in 1992.
While political parties may oppose each other due to several reasons, no one has the “courage to oppose the deity”, Ramdev said. He also claimed that neither Hindus nor Muslims are against the construction of the temple, PTI reported.
Last month, Ramdev had claimed that people were losing their patience due to delay in the construction of the temple. “In a democracy, the Parliament is supreme,” he had said. “An ordinance should be brought for the construction of the Ram temple.”
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has planned to organise public meetings across the country by December 15 to garner public support for such a legislation. After the court’s decision, the VHP had said Hindus cannot wait forever for the matter to be resolved.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!