NEW DELHI: BJP MPs sought to know the Centre’s stand on the early construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, during the Parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh asked the MPs to be patient, while reiterating that everyone was keen to expedite the construction of the temple.
In the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was away in Mumbai for official functions, and BJP chief Amit Shah, Singh presided over the meeting.
A couple of MPs, including those hailing from Uttar Pradesh, told Singh that people in their constituencies were insisting that the party give a date from which the construction of the Ram temple would begin at Ayodhya, sources said.
Singh, in turn asked the MPs to be patient, saying that everyone wanted the construction of the Ram temple to begin early.
Incidentally, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has reached out to the BJP MPs asking them to raise demands for legislation in Parliament to pave the way for the expeditious construction of the temple.
Though the BJP has agreed with the sentiments of these organisations, it has so far not come out in support of a law.The Ram Janmabhoomi land title suit appeal is pending before the Supreme Court (SC).
There is a view within the party that paving the way for the temple’s construction will boost its prospects in the Lok Sabha elections. In his speech, Singh asserted Tuesday that the opposition has no leader to match Modi’s popularity and asked BJP MPs to work for the party’s re-election in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
During the meeting, Singh also mentioned the SC verdict on a clutch of petitions on Rafale fighter jet deal, and stated that Congress president Rahul Gandhi should apologise for spearheading a “misinformation” campaign in the country.
Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad briefed the MPs about the reintroduction of the triple talaq legislation.
MPs worse than schoolkids: Speaker
Ruling BJP and Opposition MPs sparred in Lok Sabha over the Rafale issue on Tuesday, with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan lamenting that the Parliamentarians behaved worse than schoolchildren.
The BJP MPs displayed placards in the House, demanding apology from the Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the alleged “false” campaign on Rafale.
The Opposition MPs trooped into the well of the House with their demands for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe on the Rafale deal.
The Speaker chided the MPs for creating ruckus in the House. She mentioned that the people abroad have been asking about the manner in which Parliament witnesses regular ruckus.