LUCKNOW: As the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) gears up to hold a 'Janagrah rally' in Ayodhya along with similar events in Nagpur and Bengaluru on November 25 to muster support for the construction of a Ram temple, speculation is rife about a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Varanasi on November 12, when both leaders will be in the city.
While the PM will be in his parliamentary constituency to dedicate development projects worth Rs 2,400 crore, apart from holding a public rally, Bhagwat will arrive in the holy city on Sunday for a six-day sangh workshop beginning on Monday.
Highly-placed BJP sources did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between the two. Political observers are attaching significance to the possible meeting in the wake of vociferous demands for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya from various quarters, including the RSS, which is trying to create public opinion in favour of temple construction ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
A number of senior BJP leaders and state ministers will be present in Varanasi on Monday. Sources said that several BJP leaders, including a few Union ministers, were likely to meet Bhagwat during his stay in Varanasi.
Apart from Hindu seers, right-wing outfits, including the RSS and the VHP, have been mounting pressure on the BJP-led Union government to facilitate temple construction in Ayodhya through a law. On Dussehra eve, the RSS chief had demanded that the Centre take the legislative route to temple construction.
More than 5,000 seers are expected to attend the Janagrah rally on November 25, and 5-10 lakh people are expected to throng the temple town for the purpose as the "temple issue is connected with the faith of millions of people not only in India but across the world," said a senior RSS functionary. The same day, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will also be visiting the temple town to give a push to the demand for temple construction at the earliest.
During the rally, the opinion of participants would be sought on the temple issue.