The religious fraternity based in the holy city has reacted sharply to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya and made its annoyance clear on the matter hanging in the balance for an inordinately long time. Notably, PM had said that the Centre could go the ordinance way only after the Supreme Court delivers its verdict.
Head of Bhuma Niketan Swami Achyutanand Teerth dubbed the statement given by Modi as a carefully placed card in the election year.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Achyutanand said, “The statement seems to be a part of the electoral strategy firmed up by the PM.
His statement that the Centre would wait for Supreme Court ruling before bringing in the ordinance has made it clear that he is looking at the Ram Janmbhoomi issue as one of electoral import.
It is also clear that he would choose to make the emotive issue hang fire in the run-up to the election while flaunting the Supreme Court pretext. But the people are seeing through the game.”
The ascetic also took a dig on the saints hinting at the former Shankaracharya and the founder of Bharat Mata Mandir Swami Satyamitranand Giri who had backtracked on his hunger strike threat on the Ram Mandir construction issue. He said that things are being delayed thanks to such ascetics.
A day earlier, the trustee of Sri Ram Janmbhumi Trust Council Ramvilas Vedanti while in Haridwar had supported Modi’s view of bringing the much-awaited ordinance in the Parliament. “There must be a division in the Parliament to show who are sitting where on the monumental Ram Mandir issue,” he had said.
One of the principal spearheads of the Ram Mandir movement, Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Hansdevacharya said that the religious fraternity is now engaged in studying the meaning and the implications of Narendra Modi’s statement. “We would decide our future course of action on the matter after the discourse of PM’s statement is completed. Things would be discussed threadbare on at least two days during Prayag Kumbh Mela this week,” he added.
While the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev declined to comment on the matter, saying it was too sensitive an issue Mahamandaleshwar Dakshin Kali Peeth head Kailashanand Brahmchari warned BJP of serious consequences if it refused to clear decks for the construction of the temple while in power. “It would definitely pay a heavy price if it fails to act on its professed mission. Both the saints and the people are still convinced that Ram Mandir can be built only when BJP helms the government in the Centre. This is why the religious fraternity chose BJP and Modi during the 2014 general election. We are still convinced that he is a staunch follower of the Sanatan traditions. We thus expect him to take strong action at the earliest to fulfil the mounting aspiration of the nation for the temple,” he added.
Head of Bada Udaseen Akhada Swami Harichetanand Giri also said that time was ticking by. “The Centre must rid itself of procrastination and speed the process up to take things towards the consummation,” he said.