While affirming that the Ram temple would be built at the place in Ayodhya where Lord Rama was born, the Union Minister of State for tourism and culture (independent charge) Mahesh Sharma hinted that the Government might acquire the land for the construction if the other means fail.
He visited the head of Bhumaniketan Teerth Swami Achyutanand Saraswati while in Haridwar on Thursday. While seeking blessing from the saint, the Minister said that the members of the religious fraternity should come forward to bring about the moral changes in the society.
The Minister expressed concern over the alarming level of air pollution confronting the National Capital Region (NCR). “The Centre is mulling some measures to bring things under control,” he said. However, he said at the same time that the Government cannot be expected to solve such problems all by itself. “Pollution is a problem which the people are suffering from collectively. This is why the people must come forward to help the pollution level lessen,” he said.
Quizzed over the long-festering Ram temple tangle still hanging fire despite a BJP-helmed Government ruling the Centre for close to five years, the Minister said that the people should rest assured that the long-awaited Ram Mandir would come up at the site where it should come up.
“It might come up through judicial verdict or through inter-faith consensus. In case such means fail, there are other options,” he said while hinting at promulgation of ordinance to pave way for the construction. “The Uttar Pradesh Government should explore such options in deference to the collective sentiment on the matter. It is not a matter of law but one of faith of countless people,” Sharma said, adding that he would be happier if the temple is built through judicial verdict or the inter-faith consensus.
Notably, a day after the Supreme Court deferred the hearing of the emotive title suit till January next, the Uttarakhand State BJP in-charge Shyam Jaju had said in Haridwar that things could not be left to hang in the balance for an indefinite period of time. “The Hindus across the land have been waiting for the temple to come up. It is not that the temple would come up only after the judicial verdict is given on the tangle.
The people want it to come up and their sentiments should be respected,” he had said. He had expressed hope that the long wait of the people would end soon.