In an attempt to gauge the political mood close to the Lok Sabha poll, BJP’s nominated member to the Rajya Sabha Rakesh Sinha on Wednesday said he may move a Private Member’s Bill in the Rajya Sabha demanding the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Bringing in a private member Bill in the Upper House by Sinha, an RSS ideologue, is seen as tactical move because if the Bill were to be introduced in the Lok Sabha (where NDA has a clear majority) the onus would be on the BJP to pass it. By introducing it in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA is yet not in commanding position, the BJP would force Opposition to take a stand for and against the Bill and thereby on the construction of the temple on the disputed site.
Close to the Lok Sabha polls, the issue may help the BJP build tempo for the Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh where the political debate on the Ram temple has already been revived even as the Supreme Court decided to hear the case in January next year.
Tweeting about his Bill, Sinha challenged leaders of Opposition parties to clarify their stand on the Ram temple.
Will @RahulGandhi @SitaramYechury @laluprasadrjd Mayawati ji support Private member bill on Ayodhya? They frequently ask the date ‘tarikh nahin batayenge ‘ to @RSSorg @BJP4India ,now onus on them to answer.
“Jo log BJP, RSS ko ulahna dete rehete hain ke Ram Mandir ki tareekh batayein unse seedha sawall kya ve mere private member bill ka samartham karenge? Samay agya hai doodh ka doodh Paani ka Paani karne ka. @RahulGandhi @yadavakhilesh @SitaramYechury @laluprasadrjd @ncbn,” Sinha tweeted. (To the people who taunt RSS and BJP and ask for the date of Ram Temple construction, I ask them, will you support my private member bill on the issue?)”, Sinha said.
Sinha further claimed that the Ayodhya matter is not a priority for the Supreme Court. “How many days SC took to give a verdict on Article 377, Jallikattu, Sabarimala? But Ayodhya is not in priority for decades and decades. It is a top priority of Hindu society,” he said in another Tweet.
The BJP and the RSS has made it clear that temple issue is in their priority list with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat recently stating that the construction of the temple was necessary for removing misgivings between Hindu and Muslim community.
RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya also said on Tuesday the Government should acquire land, bring in a law and construct the Ram temple.
Private members Bills have, more often than not, not received parliamentary approval in the past. These Bills are generally tabled on Fridays.
These Bills could be voted upon if the member insists on it. BJP may ask for voting on the bill, if and when it is moved by Sinha in the Upper House.