BENGALURU: Echoing the views of the BJP top brass, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and other leaders of the Karnataka state unit called the judgment “neither a victory nor a defeat” for anyone. Soon after Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi delivered the verdict in the Ayodhya case — one of the major factors that had helped the BJP emerge as the single largest party in the 1996 General Elections — Yediyurappa said, “Let us all wholeheartedly welcome the apex court verdict. This is neither a victory for anyone, nor a defeat. Don’t react emotionally. Let harmony and peace prevail.”
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The Ram Temple issue was part of the BJP 2019 election manifesto. “We will explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution and all necessary efforts to facilitate the expeditious construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” the party had said in the manifesto.
“Ram Mandir should become Rashtra Mandir. This is a victory of every Indian,” said Kateel, MP from Dakshina Kannada, echoing veteran LK Advani. He said the five-judge ConstitutionBench has given a historic judgment that has ended the century-old dispute. “It is a judgment given to maintain social harmony, and I appeal to people to keep calm,” he said.
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Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, too, said the verdict further strengthened the unity, integrity and culture of the country. Tourism Minister CT Ravi, who was in New Delhi, tweeted, “Watching Ayodhya verdict in New Delhi was an emotional moment for me... Bowed down with folded hands to the divine land of Ayodhya.”
In Kalaburagi, Deputy CM Govind Karjol said the verdict was a victory for the 130 crore citizens of India.