MUMBAI/DEHRADUN: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Union Cabinet’s approval of formation of a trust to construct a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Thackeray said the apex court had given a historic decision on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and the union cabinet has put a step forward in executing the decision.
PM Modi announced in the Lok Sabha the formation of a trust to construct the temple, as directed by the Supreme Court in its landmark verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year.
“We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram temple in Ayodhya. A trust has been formed, it is called 'Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teertha Kshetra,” he told the Lok Sabha soon after meeting of the Union Cabinet on Wednesday.
The decision was generally hailed in the political circles.
“It was mandatory for the government to implement the decision. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking steps to implement the court's decision,” Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut tweeted Thackeray as saying.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Devendra Fadnavis also hailed the Centre’s announcement as “historic”.
“The wait for a grand temple of Lord Ram will be over soon,” he tweeted.
A permanent provision that one of the 15 trustees will be from the SC (scheduled caste) community shows the inclusive approach of the BJP led government, he said.
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and state BJP president Bansidhar Bhagat thanked the PM and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for announcement of the Trust.
The CM in his tweets said, "I thank our honorable Prime Minister for this decision which will enable the dream of Ram temple into reality. People of our country have established example of tolerance, inclusiveness and harmony after the honorable Supreme Court decided the matter last month."
He also added that the decision is in accordance with devotion of the people of the country towards Lord Rama.
Bhagat, in his press conference said, "Honorable PM has taken the decision which has been long pending for more than 450 years of time. I thank the PM and CM of Uttar Pradesh for making the dream reality."
Hailing the decision, MNS chief Raj Thackeray hoped the process to construct the temple would be expedited.
“The central Cabinet has given a go-ahead to form ‘Shri Ram Janambhoomi Tirtha Kshetra’ assigned in the task building of the Ram Mandir. We thus, expect the process of building the Ram Mandir to be expedited and we wholeheartedly applaud the decision of the entire Cabinet,” he tweeted.