VHP suspends campaign for Ram temple in Ayodhya till Lok Sabha elections are over

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday said it would suspend its campaign for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya till the Lok Sabha elections are over, PTI reported. The elections are expected to be held in April and May this year.

“We are putting on hold our protests for four months because we don’t want to make it a chunavi mudda [election topic],” said senior VHP leader Surendra Jain, according to The Tribune. “When we do not have the land, what is the use of carrying on with the agitations. The issue will always be alive for us, we are just putting it on hold. As soon as the elections are over, we will be back with our demand.”

The Hindutva organisation said it was committed to the cause and will decide on its course of action once the new government is formed.

The VHP has been at the front of the campaign to build the Ram temple, by urging the Centre to introduce a legislation or ordinance to build the temple.

VHP’s International Working President Alok Kumar said the seers who attended the dharma sansad in Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela last week felt that raising the Ram temple matter during the elections would make it “petty and political”, reported The Hindu.

When asked about charges that the VHP was soft on the current government regarding the construction of the temple, Kumar said it was for the people to evaluate. “As of now, we do not see any other party [other than the BJP] that was in favour of constructing the temple,” he said. “So yes, we don’t want to embarrass this government either.”

At the dharma sansad on February 1, Rahstriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat had reportedly claimed that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government will ensure that the temple is built within the next two years. Religious leaders later demanded a date for the construction of the temple.