Rajnath calls for patience on Ram temple in Ayodhya; Gadkari bats for mutual consent

As Hindutva organisations mount pressure on the Centre for a law to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, two senior union ministers--Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari--Tuesday called for patience and favoured the construction at the disputed site through mutual consent.

Gadkari also asserted that the demand for the Ram temple is not a "communal or religious" issue while Rajnath Singh, the union home minister, counselled patience when some party's MP's wanted to know the government's stand at the meeting of the BJP parliamentary party.Hindutva organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh(RSS), have in the last few months intensified their demand for an early construction of the temple, with many of them, including the Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, pitching for a law to facilitate this.

Though the BJP has agreed with the sentiments of these organisations, it has so far not come out in support of a law.BJP MP and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha last month suggested he would soon introduce a private member's bill in Parliament seeking the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.The Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case is currently in the Supreme Court. The court has said it would decide in January when to begin the hearing in the case.At the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Ravindra Kushwaha and Hari Narayan Rajbhar, both Lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, raised the Ram temple issue and enquired about the government's stand on the matter, sources said.

Rajnath Singh, who was addressing the meeting, told the members that everyone wants a Ram temple at the site where Lord Ram is believed to be born and asked party MPs to be patient.As the two MPs raised the issue, a few others also supported them, the sources said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present at the meeting, nor was BJP president Amit Shah.

There is a view within the BJP that initiating steps for the temple's construction will boost its prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.Gadkari said the Ram temple issue is linked to India's rich culture, heritage and history.
"Ayodhya issue is not a communal issue and is not religious as well. Lord Rama is symbol of our history, culture and heritage. It has been proven that temple was there. If Ram temple cannot be built at birth place in Hindustan then where should it be? Crores of people's sentiments and desire is that Ram temple should be built there," Gadkari said at a conclave by Aaj Tak news channel.

The minister said this sentiment prevailed earlier also in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agenda and remained at present as well."There are three ways for it - matter is in court, it can be through mutual consent or by any decision in Parliament through 2/3rd majority. But I believe it should happen through mutual consent. our fabric is 'sarvadharma sambhav'. it should be based on this," Gadkari, who holds several key portfolios in the Cabinet, said.
He claimed that even a large number of people in the Muslim community are in favour of settling the issue.

"The matter is in (the) Supreme Court ... they have the right to decide. I personally feel that the matter reached court as it was not solved at political level. If court tries to find out a way then it can find out a way......mutual consent is the way out and it can be solved," Gadkari added.