Controversial: BJP's Kailash Vijayvargia puts weight behind Ayodhya karsevak memorial

Making a big claim that is bound to draw sharp reactions, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia on Monday said a decision to build a memorial for karsevaks in Ayodhya would be welcome. This comes a week after the Modi government constituted a trust to build a Ram Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.

"The decision to build a memorial for karsevaks with a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is a welcome move! These martyrs are the same Ram devotees who sacrificed their everything for the Ram temple in Ayodhya! Jai Shri Ram," Vijayvargia wrote on Twitter in Hindi. Although he didn't mention by whom or when the decision was made.

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VHP reported pitching idea

This comes after it was reported that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) may push for a memorial in Ayodhya naming all karsevaks who died during the Ram Temple movement. The right-wing outfit was at the forefront of the movement, and its national vice president, Champat Rai, is facing charges in the Babri mosque demolition case.

“Hundreds of karsevaks died during the movement and their contribution must be recognised. It would be a good idea to build a memorial for them in Ayodhya,” VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain was quoted saying. The erstwhile Mulayam Singh-led SP dispensation of the time has earlier been accused of burying the incident. 

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PM's announcement

On February 5, PM Narendra Modi announced the formation of a trust for the development of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He made this declaration on the floor of the Lok Sabha. The trust will be called as 'Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra.' This move comes nearly three months after the SC ruling on the Ayodhya land dispute.  

The Constitution Bench of the SC in its verdict on November 9, 2019, awarded the entire disputed area in Ayodhya to the Hindu parties. It directed the Centre to formulate a scheme within three months which will be responsible for building a temple. On the other hand, the SC ordered that an alternative land of 5 acres in Ayodhya would be given to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque. 

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