LUCKNOW: To mount pressure on the Centre and the state governments to initiate the process of Ram Temple construction, a group of saints and seers began an indefinite fast on Monday in Ayodhya.
Leading the group, Mahant Paramhans Das claimed that the President, the Prime Minister, the UP Chief Minister and the local administration were informed about their fast-unto-death till an announcement about temple construction was made.
Ahead of the sit-in protest, the seers conducted a ‘Shila pujan’. “The fast will continue till the obstacles in the temple construction are removed. We will hold ‘Shila pujan’ every day. Saints and Ram Bhakts will participate in it.”
The Mahant said despite a number of efforts at different levels, temple construction was shrouded in ambiguity. “The BJP had the temple on its agenda. At present, it has a majority government both at the Centre and the state, but they have done nothing about the temple construction so far,” the seer said. “Till, authorities make some concrete announcement in this regarding, I shall not have food and water.”
He claimed a majority of Muslims were in support of the Ram temple in Ayodhya as "the birthplace of Lord Ram cannot be anywhere else in the world." The seers said they had no issues with the Muslims and they all wanted the construction of the temple. "I would request our Muslim brothers to cooperate in the endeavour," added Mahant Paramhans Das.
"PM Modi's term is nearing completion but our temple aspirations are still unfulfilled and this is why I have decided to undertake this fast," he said.
Notably, the seer are mounting pressure at a time when the Uchchadhikar Samiti, a high-powered steering committee of saints, will be meeting in Delhi on October 5 to draw an action plan for construction of the Ram temple.
As per sources in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a legal decision on the contentious issues is unlikely to be announced anytime soon. The Saints have now been mandated to come up with an alternate plan.
A senior VHP functionary asked if day-to-day hearings could go on in the case pertaining to conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders, then why was the case pertaining to the temple construction was still pending."In such a situation, it is imperative that the saints take a call on their own," he added.