The atmosphere in the fabled birthplace of Lord Rama, Ayodhya, turned palpable on Saturday with thousands of people in saffron robes thronging its streets and narrow bylanes chanting "Bachcha Bachcha Ram Ka Janmbhoomi Ke Kaam Ka" and "Saugandh Ram ki khaate hai, hum mandir bhavya banayenge".
Truck and trainloads of activists of VHP, RSS and Bajrang Dal are pouring into Ayodhya to take part in the Dharma Sabha, slated to begin at around 11 am on Sunday at Bade Bhaktmal Ki Bagiya in Karsevakpuram.
One lakh activists from RSS and one lakh from VHP will converge here, said VHP convenor of Eastern UP, Diwakar Tripathi. "About 1,332 buses and 1,546 four-wheelers are ferrying 80,000 of our workers to Ayodhya. About 14,000 would be reaching on motorbikes and 15,000 by trains," said an RSS functionary.
About 10,000 bajrangis are reaching Ayodhya from Varanasi alone, said Bajrang Dal convenor, Nikhil Tripathi 'Rudra'. In all, three lakh plus volunteers are expected in this small town, which a few days ago, on Diwali, witnessed the spectacle of lighting of three lakh plus earthern lamps amid the presence of First Lady of South Korea and UP CM Adityanath.
But this time, they all are assembling here to hear a final message on the construction of Ram Mandir at the disputed site by a body of saints from the stage of the Dharma Sabha on November 25.
A promise by VHP's Prant Sangathan Mantra (Awadh) that "this is the final Dharma Sabha after which construction of Ram Mandir will commence" has given them a big hope.
According to Surendra Jain, international joint secretary of VHP, after Sunday's Dharma Sabha, VHP and RSS delegates will start meeting MPs of all parties seeking their support for Ram temple legislation. Thereafter, prayers and Yajnas will be held in temples across cities culminating in two-day Dharma Sabha on January 31 and February 1 at Prayag in Allahabad.
"We are expecting saints to give a strong message from Dharma Sabha to pave way for the construction of a grand Shri Ram Mandir and expose all those who are trying to put stumbling blocks on one pretext or the other," said local VHP leader Sharad Sharma.
While Sharma skirted the question if something is in the offing to begin the construction of Ram Mandir on December 6, the Muslim population in Ayodhya and adjacent Faizabad are not sure. More than the construction of Ram Mandir, they are apprehensive of a backlash by the huge congregation of Karsewaks.
Though the UP police have deployed 70,000-strong multi-layer security, the minority community is still not sure of the aftermath that may follow after the Dharma Sabha or on December 6, the day Babri mosque was demolished.
Many have already left the town and taken refuge in homes of their relatives away from the city. "Everyone know what happened after Babri Masjid was razed in 1992. Many people from our community are not ready to take any chance and have left the city until normalcy returns," said Fahim Ansari, a local shopkeeper.
At ground zero
- 3,00,000+ Volunteers expected
- 70,000 Total security force
- 100-150 Seers expected on dais
Big Faces On Dais
- Jagat Guru Ramanandacharya
- Swami Hansdevacharya (Haridwar)
- Rambhadracharya (Chitrakoot)
- Rameshwar Das Vaishnav (Rishikesh)
- Mahant Nritya Gopal Das (Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas)
- No politician to be allowed
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 "Vishva Hindu Parishad Supporters")
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