With the 2019 Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the right wing organisation, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday urged the people of Jammu to be part of its “programme” aimed to ensure construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a press conference here, Leela Karan Sharma, state president VHP said, “Ayodhya is birth place of lord Rama. The construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya has deliberately been delayed by the successive governments, but now the time has come to resolve this long dispute by constructing a majestic temple there.”
Asking the people of Jammu to participate in the agitation for the matter, Sharma said, “People of Jammu have already proved their mettle during 2008 Amarnath land row agitation. They need to get together again to register themselves for a nation-wide programme of VHP along with some akharas on December 16 to garner support for construction of temple.”
“I still remember 15 August of 2008 when the people from entire Jammu assembled in the lawn of Mubark Mandi. The masses skipped official independence functions and participated in programmes organised by Sangarsh Samiti,” said Sharma, who was convener of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti Leela in 2008, which led a 60 day agitation for transfer of land to Amarnath board in Baltal.
He appealed the union government to immediately pass a bill during winter session of Parliament to “simplify” the construction of the Ram temple.
He said if the government failed to “clear” its stand of the construction of the temple, the VHP and Sadhu Samaj (religious monks) would launch nationwide agitation against the present government.