The Hindu : VHP rakes up Ram temple issue again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 21, 2002

Front Page

Front Page

VHP rakes up Ram temple issue again

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI DEC. 20. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today declared its intention to rake up the Ram temple issue once again. A warning was issued that after a "dharam sansad" on February 22 and 23, 2003 in Delhi, an announcement would be made for starting construction of the temple "anytime in the next 18 months".

If the VHP keeps to this schedule, it would mean that the issue would be taken up in a big way in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election to be held by September-October 2004.

Over the last 10 years since the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the VHP has announced such dates several times, most notably before every election in Uttar Pradesh and around the time of Lok Sabha elections.

This time, the `sadhus' said today, they would not meet the Prime Minister. "We have no plan to meet the Prime Minister before or after the `dharam sansad'. If he wants to meet us, let him come,'' Ramchandra Paramhans, leading light of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas controlled by the VHP, said. "I am not a toy for political parties to play with,'' he added, denying that he and other `sadhus' had been exploited by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

VHP leaders and the leading lights among the `sadhus' in their trust, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, were present at a press conference here today. From the VHP, the line-up included Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia. Also present were the former BJP MP from Gorakhpur, Avaidyanath, and the current BJP MP from Varanasi, Shankar Prasad Jaiswal. Mahant Avaidyanath lamented that despite an overwhelming majority of Hindus in Parliament the Ram temple issue had not been resolved. He said that an "andolan" (movement) would be started to decide the issue. The aim was to get rid of the "symbols of slavery".

The Paramhans said that all that was needed to get rid of terrorism was to "demolish" the mosques in Varanasi and Mathura and to rebuild temples that existed there before the Mughal period.

He said: "my patience is running out. Anytime during the next 18 months, I will begin construction of the Ram temple (with or without the Vajpayee Government's help, with or without a court order).

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

SC quashes cancellation of petrol pump allotments

PDP MLA shot dead

Three girls killed

Polaris executives released

VHP rakes up Ram temple issue again

Dara Singh's mother honoured

Cong. resents `clean chit' to Sinha

18 policemen killed

Police firing in U.P. town

Lecturer shot dead in Delhi

Teresa to be beatified

Togadia speech banned