Published 09:09 IST, February 6th 2020
Shiv Sena questions timing of Ram temple trust announcement, links it to Delhi elections
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut took a swipe at BJP over the timing of the announcement pertaining to the formation of a trust for the construction of Ram temple
On Thursday, Shiv Sena took a swipe at BJP over the timing of the announcement pertaining to the formation of a trust for the construction of Ram temple. Writing in the editorial of party mouthpiece Saamana, Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut contended that BJP had resorted to this move just a few days before the commencement of voting in the Delhi Assembly polls as Arvind Kejriwal was causing a lot of problems. Moreover, he stated that the real credit must go to the Supreme Court.
Sanjay Raut opined, “There is a criticism that BJP had to bring in Lord Ram as Kejriwal had caused it tremendous problems in the Delhi elections. Because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the formation of the Ram Temple trust 4 days before the voting. The Supreme Court has to be congratulated for the trust that the PM announced for the construction of the Ram temple. PM Modi needs to be congratulated for fulfilling his duty of implementing the verdict of the SC.”
'Kalyan Singh had to leave BJP'
Meanwhile, the Sena also took a jibe at BJP for treating senior leaders in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in a shabby manner. For instance, Raut pointed out how former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh had to leave the party despite “sacrificing” his government for the cause of Ram temple. Additionally, he cited the example of BJP patriarch LK Advani who was relegated to the Margdarshak Mandal. The Saamana editorial recalled that the BJP government had not brought in an ordinance on the Ram temple despite being in power for 6 years.
He added, “Many saints and Ram followers joined this (Ram Janmabhoomi) movement. Kalyan Singh was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at that time. He sacrificed his government for the Ram temple. The same Kalyan Singh had to leave BJP. If Lal Krishna Advani had not taken out the Rath Yatra in the name of Ram, the situation in the country would not have changed and BJP would not be in its present state. However, he too was relegated to the Margdarshak Mandal. It was expected that BJP would fulfill its promise of building a Ram temple after winning a majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Shiv Sena had demanded that the government should bring in an ordinance in this regard. However, the government did not do so.”
PM Modi's announcement
In a massive development on Wednesday, PM 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. Moreover, 5 acres of land in Ayodhya will be handed over to the Sunni Central Waqf Board.
Updated 09:09 IST, February 6th 2020