Situation tense in Ayodhya over rallies demanding Ram Mandir, PM Modi says Congress asked court to delay verdict for election

The political situation in Ayodhya is getting more and more complex over the Ram Mandir issue, with Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Shiv Sena holding separate programmes and rallies on the same day today. Both are demanding that the government at the Centre go ahead with the construction of the temple.

While the All India Muslim Personal Law Board chief Zafaryab Jilani has said that the idea of a VHP meet has terrified the Muslim residents of Ayodhya, under this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Rajasthan today that the Congress had created an atmosphere of fear for the judiciary and wanted the court to stop the Ram Mandir construction for the 2019 elections. He also said that the Congress had threatened the Chief Justice with impeachment (which appeared to be a reference to the opposition talks on beginning impeachment proceedings against the former Chief Justice), it was reported by NDTV.

Meanwhile, the situation is tense in Ayodhya with thousands of people gathering for both rallies.

The right wing VHP organised a massive gathering demanding the building of the Ram temple, and passing of an ordinance or an executive order that can supersede the legal procedure.

There are demands from various groups and certain sections of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too that the government go ahead with an ordinance because the case is now pending in the court. These groups are demanding that the temple construction should take place well ahead the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Supreme Court is expected to decide when it would hear the Ayodhya case and therefore the pressure is being built on the government from various sections saying a delay will not be tolerated.

The Shiv Sena – an ally of the BJP government at the Centre – is one of the many groups making this demand. The Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, leading the Sena’s rally in Ayodhya today said that unless the temple is constructed, there was no way the BJP would be able to come back to power.