RSS outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will hold ‘a national conference’ on Ram Janmabhoomi temple issue on January 9 and discuss all aspects of the controversial matter including ‘the evidence’ of the temple’s existence, legal matters concerning it and its ‘construction’.
The VHP’s agenda to have a comprehensive discussion on the temple in the second week of the new year has come close to the reported arrival of ‘the first lot of stones’ for ‘construction of temple’ in Ayodhya last week. The VHP had in June announced a nationwide drive to collect stones for construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
According to sources, the future course will be discussed on January 9 in the national Capital in five sessions which would be followed by a Press conference by the VHP leaders.
The topics of deliberation on what is titled ‘National Conference on Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: The Emerging Scenario’ would include ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple: Historicity, Excavation and Archaeological Evidence and Building of Ram Temple: Past Experiences and Future Efforts’.
This apart, the leaders in the conference would scrutinise the legal issues concerning the construction of the temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya.
The VHP’s National Conference was decided in the meeting attended by former VHP president (late) Ashok Singhal , its general secretary Champat Rai and BJP’s national executive member Subramanian Swamy on September 30. They had also planned to unveil the design of the Ram temple then.
The VHP conference will also discuss views on ‘Shri Rama’s Character and Ideal and His Effect on Bharatiya Culture’.
As the temple issue has come into a renewed focus in the run-up to the Assembly polls in 2017, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav this week stripped Samajwadi Party leader Ompal Nehra of Minister of State status after his reported remarks asking Muslims to help build temples in Ayodhya and Mathura.
It is understood that soon after the VHP conference, BJP-RSS coordination meeting may also take place in the same month. The meeting between the ruling party and the RSS is generally ‘a stock-taking exercise’ where all key BJP leaders and Ministers interact and exchange views with top Sangh functionaries.
The last such exercise was held in the Capital
from September 3-5 when on the final day of discussions Prime Minister Modi delivered a 15-minute address at the meet attended by 93 delegates of RSS-affiliated organisations.