Ranchi, July 7
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) today demanded enactment of a law by Parliament for construction of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya.A resolution to this effect was adopted on the second day of the two-day managing committee meeting of the VHP here.
Addressing a press conference here, VHP working President Ashok Singhal said the land must be handed over to the trust at the earliest for the construction of the temple as a “goodwill gesture” towards the people’s “popular demand.”
The organisation would accept “nothing less than the right to construct the temple at Ayodhya over the land which rightfully belonged to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust,” Mr Singhal said.
Describing Parliament as “a major obstacle” to the construction of the temple, he said a mass movement would be launched if the organisation’s demand was not met.
Reiterating his organisation’s stand of rejecting the court as “an interpretor of faith”, he said the VHP was also opposed to “politicising” of the issue by the Congress and the BJP.
The VHP considered the temple construction as a “religious matter”, which “touched the sentiments of millions of Hindus of the country and abroad,” Mr Singhal said.
“The VHP is of the firm opinion that the country must enter into a do-or-die battle with Pakistan as it has been fanning cessationalism”, he said.
“We stand against those who fan terrorism, issue ‘fatwas’ and engineer Godhra-like incidents,” he added.
The VHP’s managing committee, during its meeting, also adopted a resolution demanding reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir and abrogation of Article 370, Mr Singhal said.
“The Narasimha Rao government snatched the 43-acre land through Parliament”, the VHP President said, adding that the organisation had never said it would disobey the court’s order on the temple.
Asked if there the country would face communal riots in the event of the construction of the temple, the VHP leader said, “We are not against Islam, but against those who are sympathetic to the jehadi cause.”
Mr Singhal also alleged that the Students Islamic Movement of India was trying to create ‘Mogholstan’.
NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said her government would abide by the court verdict on the Ayodhya issue if the parties concerned failed to resolve it through negotiations.
She said this at a public rally organised by the Delhi unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party to felicitate her on becoming the state’s Chief Minister for the third time.
Ms Mayawati did not make any reference to the VHP resolution at Hardwar, stating that courts could not decide on matters of faith.
UNI, PTI
