BS Reads: In plan to develop new Ayodhya, mosque conspicuous by its absence

The request for proposal to appoint a consultant for preparing a plan to re-develop Ayodhya doesn't have any reference to the new mosque, its development or its integration into the 'new smart city'

The Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has set the ball rolling to transform Ayodhya into a ‘world class spiritual mega city’ and the ‘biggest divine tourism hub of Asia.’ But this grand initiative makes no mention of a new mosque to be built over five acres of land allocated by the state government in Dhannipur village on the outskirts of Ayodhya.

A close look at the documents being prepared to showcase Ayodhya as a world-class spiritual mega city reveals that the entire plan is centred around the new Ram temple expected to be built on about