“Government does not have to approach the Commission for permission to announce Ram temple trust,” the polling authority said when it was asked if the government required a clearance from the panel. (File)
The Election Commission (EC) Wednesday said its nod was “not required” for the government to announce the formation of a trust to construct a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The response from the polling body came when it was asked if the government required a clearance from the panel to announce the trust as the model code of conduct was in place in the national capital ahead of polls on February 8.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in the Lok Sabha that the Cabinet had approved the formation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra trust. He also urged all members of the House to support the construction of the temple.
Today we take a historic step ahead towards building a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya!
It was my honour to address the Lok Sabha on this subject, which is special to many.
I also applauded the remarkable spirit of the people of India.
This is what I said… pic.twitter.com/MJHDHnR3Xo
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 5, 2020
Sporting a saffron muffler, PM Modi also said, “after the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi issue came out, the people of India displayed remarkable faith in the democratic processes and procedures. I salute the 130 crore people of India.” He also said that the government was moving forward with ‘sabka saath sabka vikas‘ policy so that everyone was happy.
The Uttar Pradesh government also allotted a 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for the construction of a new mosque in Ayodhya.
(with PTI inputs)