Only timely construction of grand Ram temple on our agenda now: VHP

With construction of Ram Temple scheduled to kickstart on August 5 with ‘Bhoomipujan’ of the Ramjanmabhoomi site in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which spearheaded the movement, watches closely. Its national working president Alok Kumar tells Pankaj Shah that a grand temple would symbolise emancipation of Hindu faith which remained crushed for years by a few vested interests.
Kumar said that the development of the proposed temple would pave way for development of Ayodhya as a prominent cultural hotspot for millions of Hindus the world over.
Q: Finally, the construction of Ram temple is set to begin with bhoomipujan on August 5. Do you think that the target of VHP has been achieved?
A: I believe the target was achieved when the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in favour of the Ram temple. The proposed construction of a grand temple is the rejuvenation of the Hindu society which has been marred by domination of a few vested interests. It is the mark of emancipation of Hindus who have been struggling for the cause for nearly 500 years. We now have to move further and see that construction of Ram temple picks up pace and gets completed in the next 3 to 3.5 years.
Q: Do you think that Ram temple would continue to be at the epicentre of politics like it has been for years? Or, is it the end of it?
A: It would no longer be at the centre of agenda of any political party now. The Ram temple movement has forced all political parties to respect Hindu sentiments and faith. We would like the temple to be a symbol of national importance to be projected beyond politics of a party.
Q: How do you plan to showcase construction of Ram temple as a beacon of Hindu aspiration and faith?
A: It has been a long drawn battle which VHP fought for years. Finally, we have managed to awaken the soul of Hindus. The inferiority complex that had gripped the Hindu society for decades has now gone. Hindus are no more seized but are now free to project their aspirations before the world. And that’s exactly what we would talk of and continue to motivate the Hindu society for in due course of time.
Q: What are VHP’s plans? Are Kashi and Mathura on the agenda?
A: Only timely construction of a grand Ram temple is on our agenda. We have been and would continue to strive for it till we achieve the goal. There is no other agenda for the VHP as of now. I repeat. There is nothing else on our agenda.
Q: What about development of Ayodhya as a whole?
A: While the massive Ram temple will be the centre of attraction for the whole world, the city of Ayodhya will be and should be developed as a great pilgrimage centre. We hope that the state government would understand the socio-cultural-religious ethos of the city and develop it accordingly. We assume that Ayodhya would be the next tourist hotspot.
Q: Do you see any challenge from here as far as the timely construction of Ram temple is concerned?
A: All challenges saw an end when the apex court delivered its verdict in November. We hope that a grand temple would be constructed timely and as per the expectation of Hindus across the world.