Bengaluru: Dharma Sansad from today

Bengaluru: Raising hope of a peaceful settlement of an issue that has worried the nation for years,  the Shia Wakf Board recently agreed to the building of a  Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and a Masjid in Lucknow. And now all eyes are on the  three-day Dharma Sansad of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), that begins in the temple town of  Udupi on Friday, as it is expected to discuss and pass major resolutions on the controversial Ayodhya dispute besides cow protection and  such matters related to Hinduism. 

Udupi, which hosted the sansad once before,  in 1985, has been bathed in saffron once again with hundreds of seers having already arrived in the city to participate in it. Around 2,500 seers of various sects and top leaders of the RSS and many other Hindu organisations,  are likely to attend the meet, which will on its very first day see a discussion on the construction of the Sri Rama Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.

Sri Ravishankar Guruji,  who has been playing mediator in the Ayodhya dispute and RSS leaders like Sarsanghachalak, Mohan Bhagwat are scheduled to speak at the session. While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath will not be present, he is expected to be a part of the Hindu Samajotsav on Sunday. 

Saturday will see a group meeting on developing social harmony in the country, followed by a discussion on how to stop induced conversions and encourage the "home-coming" of converts.  

Resolutions will be passed during the general session on Sunday and will be followed by a massive Hindu Samajotsava in the afternoon where Yogi Adityanath will deliver the keynote address.

The  Dharma Sansad is not an annual event. Only 11 sansads have been held since 1984, the  last one being in 2005-06 in four different parts of the country.  The sansad at Udupi will be the VHP's 12th.  It will be inaugurated Friday morning by Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Sri Siddaganga Mutt and  Mr Mohan Bhagwat will deliver the keynote address.