Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the resounding victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections would pave the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

“All obstacles in the construction of Ram Mandir will be removed soon. The formation of the Modi government at the Centre for a second time has paved the way for the construction of the temple,” Adityanath said while addressing a gathering of seers in Ayodhya.

In March, the Supreme Court ordered mediation in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit and set up a three-member panel to resolve the issue. The panel is set to hold the third round of talks with the petitioners in the case on June 17.

Accusing the opposition parties of neglecting Ram when they were in power, Adityanath, who was in Ayodhya to mark the birthday of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das said: “After the Independence, successive governments neglected Lord Ram. PM Narendra Modi was the first to give recognition to Ayodhya and all aspects associated with it.”

Rejecting Adityanath’s charges, UP Congress spokesperson Zeeshan Haider said: “For the last 20 years, they have been making such statements to polarise voters .”

During his visit, Adityanath also offered prayers at the makeshift Ram temple built at the disputed site and also unveiled a seven-foot statue of the Hindu God at a museum in the city. He said the original copy of the Constitution included a picture of Ram, in an apparent reference to one of the illustrations in an early manuscript.

First Published: Jun 07, 2019 23:26 IST