Headlines
Modi government will go if it doesn't build Ram temple: VHP
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By Brajendra Nath Singh New Delhi, June 6
Although BJP president Amit
Shah says that the Narendra Modi government doesn't have the mandate to
address its core issues, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a constituent
of the Sangh Parivar, disagrees.
The VHP has said that the huge
mandate with which the Modi government came to power was not only for
development but also to delver on its core issues, including building a
grand Ram temple at Ayodhya.
The Hindu outfit also reminded the
government to be ready to "face the consequences" -- like the previous
NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- if it did not deliver on
the core issues.
"The mandate which the BJP got in last general
election was not merely for development. People expect that they will
address the core issues too," VHP spokesperson and national secretary
Surendra Jain told IANS.
"Despite several comments on the issue
by senior BJP leaders, our hope is still alive. We expect that this
government will fulfill its commitment to construct a Ram temple at
Ayodhya," he added.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Shah said
last month that the party needs 370 seats in the Lok Sabha to address
its core issues. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said earlier that the core
issues were not the government's priority for now as it was focussed on
development.
Jain said building the Ram temple was also in the BJP manifesto. "How can they backtrack on the issue?" he asked.
Jain
said the previous NDA government didn't address these issues, and the
voters had shown them the door. "BJP leaders should learn from their
mistakes of the past."
He said a committee of holy men and
spiritual leaders would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge
him to construct the Ram temple.
Recently, the Shiv Sena, another
BJP ally, had said that the prime minister should reveal his 'Mann Ki
Baat' on the contentious issue of the temple in Ayodhya.
Rajya
Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar, who was the face of the Ayodhya movement in the
1990s, has said that the government should resolve the issue through
legislation or dialogue and not wait for the Supreme Court's verdict.
The Allahabad High Court's verdict on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi issue is on appeal before the Supreme Court.
(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at [email protected])