Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s claim that his government can solve the vexed Ayodhya issue within 24 hours if allowed by the court has drawn sharp reaction, with the main plaintiff in the case, Iqbal Ansari, saying the statement amounts to insult of the court.
“The statement of the Chief Minister is an insult of the court. Through this statement he has implied that the court is not doing its job or is wilfully delaying the matter which can be solved in 24 hours,” Ansari said in Ayodhya on Sunday.
In an interview to a private news channel, the Chief Minister said that his government could resolve the Ayodhya issue within 24 hours.
“If the court allows us, my government can resolve this issue within 24 hours,” he said.
In the interview, the Chief Minister said that people were losing patience because of the delay in construction of Ram temple. “I appeal to the Supreme Court to give its verdict in the case at the earliest,” he said, adding that if the court fails to give a judgement, then it should hand over the case to the UP government which would solve it within 24 hours.
The Chief Minister made it clear that Ram temple was not a political issue but directly related to the people’s faith.
However, all eyes are on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad-sponsored Dharma Sansad, to be held at Prayagraj during the Kumbh on January 31 and February 1 to finalise the future strategy for the construction of Ram temple.
The importance of Dharma Sansad can be gauged from the expected presence of Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and other senior party leaders in Prayagraj.
VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said here on Sunday that Ram temple would be the main issue during the two-day Dharma Sansad, to be held at VHP’s camp in Sector 14 of Kumbh Mela Area in Prayagraj.
“Top VHP leaders are likely to attend that meeting. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat along with other RSS functionaries are slated to attend the Dharma Sansad,” Sharma said.
A senior BJP leader said that Shah could attend the Dharma Sansad as he was slated to visit Lucknow on January 30 to attend a meeting of the party’s booth committees in UP.