BJP claims plea step towards Ram Temple construction

New Delhi: Weeks before the national elections, BJP leaders on Tuesday sought to present the central government’s move to return undisputed land in Ayodhya to its original owners, including Ram Janambhoomi Nyas, as a step towards starting “work” on building a Ram temple in the holy city of Uttar Pradesh.

With the RSS-led Hindutva organisations pushing for a law to build the temple at the disputed site, a BJP leader said the government’s plea in the Supreme Court is an attempt to redress the “deep sense of anguish of Ram devotees and the BJP cadres”.

The comments came hours after the Centre asked the Supreme Court to allow it to return the “non-disputed” surplus land acquired around the disputed structure in  Ayodhya to the Nyas and other original owners.

The leader recalled that the biggest applaud the BJP president Amit Shah’s speech in the party’s recent convention had received from thousands of delegates was when he reiterated the party’s commitment to the temple construction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brief mention of the emotive issue had also drawn loud cheers, he said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a prominent Hindutva face of the party, also hailed the government’s move and hoped permission would be granted to start work on the undisputed land.

“We welcome this initiative of the Central government. We should get permission to start work on the undisputed piece of land,” he said.