The BJP and VHP Monday started their drive to collect donations for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. (File) The BJP and VHP Monday started their drive to collect donations for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
However, a ‘rath yatra’ planned by MP Manoj Tiwari in Northeast Delhi had to be postponed due to “security concerns”.
“There were some security concerns raised by police. Some elements are trying to disturb the condition of Delhi… and there was the budget session too. So the police requested that the yatra be postponed,” he claimed, adding that the yatra will be taken out next week.
In February last year, the Northeast Delhi constituency had seen communal riots that left 53 dead and hundreds injured. The yatra was to pass through areas like Timarpur, Chand Bagh and Yamuna Vihar. Chand Bagh was among the areas that saw violence during the riots.
The door-to-door fund collection drive, meanwhile, was carried out by senior party leaders, including Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel. Gupta, who launched the drive from Valmiki Mandir at JJ Colony in Wazirpur, said: “Hindus want a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya…”
Delhi VHP president Kapil Khanna said over 40,000 volunteers, divided into groups of two to five, are reaching out to people. The drive will end on February 27.