Sangh Parivar puts government on notice, seeks law on mandir

NEW DELHI: The Modi government’s elbow room on the Ram temple seems to have reduced sharply, with a Vishwa Hindu Parishad-organised and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-supported show of strength in the capital calling for a swift resolution of the dispute with early construction of the temple.

“We are not begging for Ram temple but it is our right. It is not only our wish but also responsibility of the government and Parliament. We want that dignity of the judicial system and courts should be upheld and courts and the government should respect people’s sentiments... Mandir wahin banayenge is a long time pledge of the ruling party,” RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said.

The Sangh Parivar on Sunday put the government on notice, reminded BJP of its pledge to clear the way for construction of Ram temple and instructed them to bring a law to fulfill it at the earliest.

At the Dharam Sansad organised by VHP, which turned out to be a massive affair with 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh people (as per Delhi Police estimate) present at Ramlila ground here, the unambiguous stand of RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi and VHP working president Alok Kumar seems to have left the government with few options on bringing an ordinance unless the SC starts hearing the title dispute.

Alok Kumar virtually warned the government of serious consequences and said if a law for temple construction was not passed in the upcoming winter session, people’s anger might reflect in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “If a law is not made in the winter session, the government will have to face public anger in elections,” Kumar said.

VHP international president Sadashiv Kokje said demand for temple was not a political issue but an issue of self-respect for Hindus.

The no-more-waiting stance of the Sangh Parivar makes it difficult for BJP, which has maintained that it will wait for SC to resolve the matter, a restraint influenced by the calculation that the court will strike down any legislation over a matter which is pending its arbitration. However, remarks of RSS leaders and some sants were telling and suggested that the Sangh Parivar is not prepared to jettison the credibility of its ‘mandir wahin banayenge’ pledge for the sake of the Modi government’s comfort level.