NEW DELHI: Hundreds of Muslims who donated to the Nirman Nidhi fund created for Ram temple in Ayodhya will travel to the holy city after January 22 for a ‘darshan’ of the temple post-consecration. The padyatra (foot march) is facilitated by the RSS-affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM).
Shahid Sayeed, the MRM’s national executive member and spokesperson said, “Muslim community members from nearly 50 districts of various states are set to visit Ram temple in Ayodhya. Most of them will be coming by cars, bikes, and cycles. The march will strengthen religious amity. The volunteers will be reaching Ayodhya after January 23.”
He said a good number of the marchers would be from J&K, besides Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, UP and Delhi. “They are from various backgrounds and represent India’s essence of religious amity and brotherhood”, he said.
Recently, Indresh Kumar, the chief patron of MRM, lauded the initiative saying all communities belong to Bharat. “The MRM is engaged in garnering Muslim support from across 250 districts nationwide, collecting donations from Khankah, madrassa and Islamic schools,” Sayeed said, adding contributions from over 10 Islamic universities were consolidated into the ‘Nirman Nidhi fund.’
Sayeed said the MRM had presented a collection of signatures from over 8.5 lakh Muslims in favour of the removal of Article 370 and 35A to then President Pranab Mukherjee. “Nearly 11 lakh Muslims from across the country signed a petition to impose an immediate ban on cow slaughter. The MRM has been running campaigns for several years within the Muslim society against practices such as triple Talaq and halala”, he said.
He added that MRM believes that Ram is Imaam-e-Hind. “Ram is the epitome of virtue, who gave the message of humanity and love,” said Sayeed, adding regardless of religion or community, the platform appeals to everyone that when Ram Lalla is enshrined, celebrations should reverberate everywhere.
“The platform strongly advocates the resolution of the Kashmir issue through political, diplomatic, and intellectual efforts, aiming at the state’s full integration into India. “Pakistan occupied Kashmir was, is, and will remain ours,” he said.