Mounting pressure on the government ahead of the winter session of Parliament to bring a legislation for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the RSS on Sunday called for "one last push," saying "those in power" should respect public sentiment and take positive steps.
Addressing the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)'s Dharma Sabha in Ramlila Maidan, senior RSS functionary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of its Palampur resolution on Ram temple.
"They had passed a resolution that 'Ram Mandir Wahin Banayenge'. Now the time has come to respect that resolution. Without any hesitation, they should move ahead towards fulfilling their commitment," Joshi said in the presence of thousands of Lord Ram devotees, saints and religious gurus.
The VHP Dharma Sabha comes days before the winter session of Parliament that begins on December 11.
He said the judiciary has its own way, but in a democracy, Parliament has its own rights and the present government should take initiatives in the direction of formulating a law.
"There is no other option. For this holy work, they need to come forward showing courage. This is the request of all Ram bhakts. We are not begging. We are expressing our views. The power has a big role in respecting these sentiments. I believe that they will understand these sentiments and take positive steps," he said.
Joshi said that the construction of Ram temple would bring "Ram Rajya" in the country and till the time it gets constructed, the movement will go on.
"How long will we see Lord Ram living in a temporary arrangement? This should end. There is a need for one last push. We all want to see Lord Ram in the grand temple. The construction of the temple will lay the foundation for Ram Rajya in the country. It will decide, on which way the country will move ahead. Till the construction of the temple, the movement will continue," he said amid chants of "Jai Sree Ram" and "Ram Lala Hum Aayenge, Mandir Wahi Banayenge".
"The power is not supreme but it plays an important role. Those sitting in the corridors of power need to understand the public sentiment. I believe that they are not only aware of it but are also in agreement on the issue of temple," Joshi said.
He also slammed the Supreme Court and said a country can never progress if people had no faith in judiciary. "The judiciary also needs to give it a thought."
Addressing the gathering, VHP leaders demanded a legislation in the coming winter session of Parliament.
"Ram temple is not an election issue but an issue of our self respect. We can't wait till infinity for the court to pronounce judgement. Respecting the sentiments of the Hindus, Parliament should enact a law," said VHP's President Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje.
The working president of the VHP, Alok Kumar, urged the political parties to support the law in Parliament. "The government should enact a legislation in the winter session only, otherwise they should be ready to face public anger in the next elections," he said.
Sadhvi Ritambhara said the government should listen to its "own" people and pave the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.
"Apno ki awaz apno ko sunana chahiye aur Ram mandir ka marg prashast hona chahiye," she said.
She also took a dig at the BJP for ignoring the sentiments of Hindus.
"Those who were talking about Lord Ram are enjoying power but Lord Ram is still in a tent. It's very painful to see Lord Ram in a tent. There's no meaning of constructing big statues of Lord Ram unless a grand Ram temple is constructed in Ayodhya. The use of power exists in putting India's pride in its place," she said.
Lokesh Muni, a dharma guru of the Jain community, asked the government to bring a legislation in the winter session of Parliament for the construction of temple.
"If a bill to protect Muslim women from triple talaq can be brought, why not a legislation for Ram temple? The government should bring legislation in Parliament and that too in this winter session. This will also make it clear as to who supports it and who shows the courage to oppose it. Those opposing it will not be able to win the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," he said.
Prior to this rally, the VHP on November 25 organised similar rallies in different parts of the country, including Nagpur, Ayodhya and Bengaluru.
It also organised door-to-door campaign across the country to garner support for Ram temple.
--IANS
bns-som/oeb/sed
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
