The Ayodhya issue is heating up, once again. In the run-up to the parliament polls, seers and right-wing political leaders have been demanding a concrete plan for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya from the Narendra Modi government. After the RSS, the Shiv Sena, too, has been clamouring for a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The Shiv Sena has also started a ‘Mission Ayodhya’ campaign and its chief, Uddhav Thackeray, will visit Ayodhya on November 25. A month before Thackeray's intended trip, Shiv Sena cadres have reached Ayodhya to build an atmosphere in favour of construction of a Ram temple. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently given a clear call for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Though the Ayodhya issue is pending in the Supreme Court, the political temperature in the temple town is rising. A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearings in the Ayodhya title dispute case from October 29.
Seers and political leaders have been holding various kind of agitations to press for their demands. In this regard, a prominent mahant of Ayodhya, Paramhans Das, had been on a fast unto death for around a week before he was detained by police.
On the other hand, founder of Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad Pravin Togadia, too, has been pitching very hard for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Togadia had violated prohibitory orders and held a meeting on the banks of Sarayu on Monday where he and his followers vowed to build a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Togadia accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of breaking their “promise” on building a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Togadia also made his intentions clear to float a political party, which, within a month of coming to power, will go for construction of temples at the disputed sites of Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi.
Though every year, political parties accelerate the tempo for temple construction before December 6, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, this time, they are making hectic efforts keeping in mind the coming Lok Sabha polls, where the Ram temple issue will be a key factor.