The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has now demanded from the Central Government that is should pass a law in the coming Monsoon Session to construct Ram temple at Ayodhya on the lines of reconstruction of Somnath Temple in Gujarat.
The Somnath Temple was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni in 1026 and it was later reconstructed after Independence, said Vinayak Rao Deshmukh, joint general secretary of the VHP during his Kumaon visit here on Thursday. Similarly, the Ram Temple at Ayodhya was destroyed by Babar in 1528. Now the Ram Temple must be constructed on the line of the construction of the Somnath Temple, the VHP leader maintained,
adding “We have said that the Central Government must bring a law in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Parliament to pave the way for construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya.” “In case no step is taken in this regard by the Centre, we have no option but to move ahead and a massive rally would be organised at Ayodhya on October 18,” he added.
At the same time, the VHP leader came down heavily on the Central Government alleging that in its 1994 affidavit the then Central Government assured the court that if it was proved that there was a temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya before 1528 then it (the Central Government) would return the entire land at Ayodhya to the Hindu organisations concerned. Now even the High Court has also maintained that there was temple before the said date of 1528. But the Centre has done nothing so far to solve this issue, Deshmukh further said.
But the VHP in its Haridwar meet, in which a huge number of ‘sadhus’ also participated, has decided to move ahead in the Ram temple case and ‘chaurashi koshi prikarma’ a religious programme, would be held at Ayodhya from August 25 to September 13, he added.