The BJP\u2019s stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh was a vote for the \u201cnationalist powers\u201d and will pave the way for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said on Saturday.
\nWelcoming the BJP\u2019s crushing majority in India\u2019s largest state, the VHP \u2013 an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh \u2013 said it expected the construction of the temple to start at the earliest.
\n\u201cWe believed earlier too that the BJP will fulfill the demand (for a temple), but there is no doubt now that the Ram Temple will be constructed in Ayodhya. We now expect the BJP to do it at the earliest,\u201d Surendra Jain, the international joint general secretary of the VHP told HT.
\nThe Shiv Sena also echoed the same sentiment and congratulated the BJP. \u201cRam\u2019s period of exile has ended,\u201d Sena MP Sanjay Raut told reporters.
\nHis comments came as trends and results for UP showed the BJP on course for a two-thirds majority in the state, leaving the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and the Bahujan Samaj Party far behind.
\nThe RSS-affiliate has been steering the Ram Temple movement and has been pressing the BJP to expedite construction in an issue that is emotive for many Hindus. The controversial temple is also at the heart of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the nineties that benefited the BJP. VHP wants a temple built at the site where the Babri Masjid \u2013 which was demolished in 1992 \u2013 once stood.<\/p>\n
The MP \u2013 known to make provocative speeches \u2013 ensured that the issue of a Temple in Ayodhya found a mention in his public speeches. He assured that a temple would come up even as he took potshots at his opponents, the SP and the BSP for engaging in politics on communal lines.
\nSenior BJP leader in the state, Vinay Katiyar also raised the issue several times, he was quoted by ANI to have asserted that \u2018development, education and employment are there in the city, but are meaningless without the temple\u2019.
\nThe RSS and BJP leadership however maintained a safe stance. While RSS brass refrain from commenting on the issue, BJP president Amit Shah chose to leave the decision to the Supreme Court, which is hearing the issue and said, the government under BJP rule would follow constitutional norms to build Ram Mandir in UP.
\nWhile releasing the manifesto in Lucknow, he said his government would press for an early solution to the temple issue within the ambit of the constitution.
\nThe VHP, however thinks the issue, which has been a flashpoint between the communities for over decades, could be resolved if the government opts for brining a Bill in Parliament. Jain earlier told Hindustan Times that the VHP has already met over 500 MPs across party lines and has secured their support for the Ram Temple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The BJP\u2019s stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh was a vote for the \u201cnationalist powers\u201d and will pave the way for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said on Saturday. Welcoming the BJP\u2019s crushing majority in India\u2019s largest state, the VHP \u2013 an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1134],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51119"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51119\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}