“VHP looks ready to understand the government’s compulsion. ‘Even if we put pressure on the BJP government to bring a legislation on the issue, the bill will not be passed in Rajya Sabha as the government doesn’t have the numbers. In that case it would be prudent to give them time to get the numbers,’ Chinmayanand further said.” – Rajiv Srivastava
Vishwa Hindu Parishad has given BJP government at the Centre 2.5 years at the most to take up Ram Mandir construction issue.
On Friday, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said it was for the BJP government to decide when will they take up the issue, they have five-year time, but VHP’s member Marg Darshak Mandal and former minister of state for Home Swami Chinmayanand while talking to TOI said: “… not five years but they should take it up much earlier at the most two and a half years.”
The three-day RSS national executive meet that began in Lucknow on Friday has brought the issue of Ram temple, which BJP kept aloof of during the Lok Sabha election, back in reckoning.
Four months after the BJP government at the Centre, saffron outfits have finally begun speaking their mind out on their core issue of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
While BJP government at the Centre might have got almost five-year term from its ideological guardian — RSS — to construct Ram mandir, Vishwa Hindu Parishad wants it to be constructed well before the government completes five-year term.
Until Modi-led government came to power at the centre, the outfits were more being ‘sentimental’ about the issue, but now they are being ‘reasonable’ about it as none is willing to put pressure on the BJP government to take up their ideological issue immediately.
BJP chief Amit Shah, who after attending the RSS meeting, agreeing with what Hosabale said only proves the point.
What makes it interesting that VHP looks ready to understand the government’s compulsion. “Even if we put pressure on the BJP government to bring a legislation on the issue, the bill will not be passed in Rajya Sabha as the government doesn’t have the numbers. In that case it would be prudent to give them time to get the numbers,” Chinmayanand further said.
However, the deadline given by the former union minister might not be final. “The VHP management committee meeting and a meeting with all the seers and saints is scheduled to be held in December, where a final decision on the issue would be taken,” VHP’s national secretary Rajendra Pankaj said.
However, Pankaj also cited Chinmayanand’s logic that the BJP government lacks the required numbers in Rajya Sabha to ensure passing of the legislation on the issue.
“Besides, VHP wants the government to take the initiative on the issue and even try to bring Muslim representatives on discussion table as they had earlier said that they would forego their claim if it was established that a temple existed before the mosque was built at the disputed site in Ayodhya,” Pankaj further said.
Politically speaking, it seems the deadline by the saffron outfits is a well thought out plan. By the time VHP’s deadline approaches, assembly elections in all the major states would be over, as BJP will not once again like the issue to be at centre stage during these elections just like they managed to keep it away during Lok Sabha election. – The Times of India, 19 October 2014
-
Shiv Sena asks Mohan Bhagwat to announce date of Ram temple construction – Zee Media
-
Hindus demonstrate for a Ram temple in Ayodhya – BBC
-
The Modi government’s Hindu agenda – Koenraad Elst
Filed under: india | Tagged: ayodhya, BJP government, hindu, hindu temples, india, indian politics, politics, rama, RSS, RSS, sri ram temple, VHP | 15 Comments »
