LUCKNOW: Perturbed over the alleged delay in over temple issue when the next Lok Sabha elections are just a few months away, a high-level delegation of the seer and saints of Ayodhya met UP CM Yogi Adityanath here on Thursday. The delegation believed to have conveyed their concern and urged the CM to remove the glitches in the path of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Notably, the saints had indicated on Wednesday that if the BJP government failed to keep it words of Ram temple, they would be bound to review their support to the party in 2019. However, the saints were disturbed more by the statement of union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi that temple was not on Centre’s agenda. They had even threatened to launch an agitation in support of temple if its construction was not started by March 2019.
The delegation, comprising senior member of the Ram Janambhomi Nyas Mahant Kamanayan Das, Mahant Awadhesh Das, Mahant Rajkumar Das, Mahanat Dr Bharat Das and Mahant Surendra Das, raised the issue of Ayodhya’s development including cleaning of holy river Saryu and construction of Parikrama roads during their meeting with the CM.
However, on the part of the state government, CM Yogi Adityanath reassured them of his government’s commitment over temple issue. After the meeting, the saints appeared satisfied. They claimed that the CM was equally concerned about the delay in temple construction as the matter was pending with Supreme Court of India.
“He assured us to take their concern at the highest level in party and government forum,” said Mahant Kamalnayan Das, who is likely to succeed Mahant Nritya Gopal Das as Chairman of Ram Janambhhomi Nyas, the trust which has been spearheading the movement for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
As per the sources, the CM also agreed to be a part of the Dharam Sansad to be held in Allahabad on June 25. “The issue of temple will crop up at the dharma sansad as well,” said the delegation. However, the saints are expected to announce a date to begin the temple construction at Ayodhya during Dharam Sansad.
As per the highly placed sources in BJP, CM Yogi was directed by BJP central leadership to meet the ‘Ayodhya sant mandal’ and pacify them, especially, after Naqvi’s statement. Even PM Modi’s silence on the issue was also unnerving the saints and seers.