The government formed by any party will have to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Pejawar Mutt said here on Sunday.
According to him, the temple and the mosque can co-exist in Ayodhya, but the mosque should be at a distance from the temple to avoid any dispute.
“I stand by my view that Ram mandir should be built in Ayodhya. However, it has to be done according to rules. The Parliament and Constitution are the ultimate authorities. I will not speak in detail as elections are under way,” he said.
“People will decide who will form the next government,” he said in response to a question.
The seer told presspersons in Tilakwadi that the Narendra Modi government had promised to build the temple, but could not do it in this term owing to some reasons. “Some parties and leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati have opposed it. The Congress has not clarified its stand on the issue. Moreover, the issue is in court. What can the Union government do now?,” he asked.
On the Lingayat issue, he said: “Lingayats are Hindus. All those who worship Lord Shiva are Hindus. The Lingayats and Veerashaivas should not be separate entities. They should not move away from Hinduism. Minister M.B. Patil may oppose this and say that I should not speak about issues concerning them. But is it wrong to speak out when our brothers want to separate from us?” he wondered.
He said he was planning to organise an Iftar dinner for Muslims in the Udupi mutt this year too.