ASSEMBLY POLL '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS '98
ARCHIVES

Sadhus give Centre 90 days to get cracking on Ram temple

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to project a moderate face by snubbing the likes of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its fiery offshoot, the Bajrang Dal, the sadhus of Ayodhya have got together to renew their demand for early construction of the Ram temple.

Sponsored by the sadhus, a Dharam Sansad (religious parliament) was held recently just across Vidhan Bhavan, seat of the Uttar Pradesh government. Largely drawn from Ayodhya, the sadhus have given a 90-day ultimatum to the government to take a final decision on the temple issue.

They made no bones about what they termed as "great betrayal" by the BJP governments, both at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, on this question. The issue has been hanging fire ever since the 16th century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was pulled down on December 6, 1992, by violent Hindu mobs, including many sadhus who have been demanding early construction of the temple. The site where the mosque stood is claimed by Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram.

Baba Dharam Das, chief trustee of Ramjanambhoomi Trust, which was formed by the sadhus to undertake construction of the temple, told this scribe, "If the BJP governments at the Centre and in Lucknow fail to resolve this issue within 90 days, we will take out a protest march that will go from Kashmir to Kanyakumari." This was aimed at "mobilising public opinion, which would be followed by mass countrywide protests against the BJP government", he added.

Baba Ram Das said, "The entire sadhu community is chagrined by the dilly-dallying of the BJP, even though it rode to power solely on this issue." He held the central government squarely responsible for the delay in temple construction. "They might have forgotten about the temple but we are committed to build it", he warned.

Another prominent Ayodhya saint and chief priest of the existing makeshift Ram temple, Baba Satyendra Das, called for the need to "bring sadhus belonging to all Hindu religious congregations under a common banner" to demand the construction of the temple. He felt, "The issue could be better resolved without the involvement of politicians and a direct dialogue between Hindu and Islamic religious leaders."

He called for a round-table discussion among the religious representatives of different sects to thrash out a solution to the dispute, which he was confident, could be found with "an open mind".

He lamented that despite the presence of a BJP government, "Ram Lalla was left in a precarious condition under a temporary makeshift shelter. Since darshan was permitted only from a distance of 51 feet and that too after meandering through a winding steel barricaded labyrinth, no one dared to venture a second time to Ayodhya."

Criticising the administration for making things "extremely difficult for an ordinary devotee", he described the provisions made by the official machinery for routine puja as "grossly inadequate."

The meet further resolved to urge the Union government to set up early special courts to take up the Ayodhya case on a daily basis so that the tangle could be resolved without further delay.

Last month, the Ayodhya sadhus had expressed their ire against Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, who had denied them audience without prior appointment. Kalyan's efforts to placate their feelings by sending the district magistrate of Lucknow to intercede on his behalf did not work. It was only after the chief minister apologised and extended them an invitation to his residence and also assuring them of VIP treatment whenever they chose to visit him again, were they pacified. Interestingly, they have now turned their wrath against the central government, whom they were now blaming for the delay in the construction of the Ayodhya temple.

Tell us what you think of this report