Amid raging stir over Ram Temple, Yogi Adityanath to lay foundation stone for 100-metre long Lord Rama statue in Ayodhya

Amid raging controversies over the construction of Ram Temple, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is gearing up to lay the foundation stone for a 100-metre long statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, a historically rich city, which is believed to be the birthplace of Shri Ram.

In early July, there were reports that the construction of the statue will begin soon and Adityanath will be laying the foundation stone on the banks of Saryu river. At that time, the project was being touted as an effort to attract more tourists in Ayodhya.

Besides that, the UP government is working on several other projects to promote religious tourism in places like Mathura and Vrindavan. Maghar is also being developed as a tourism destination where Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier addressed mega rallies along with Yogi Adityanath and other prominent figures from the BJP.

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Meanwhile, the Hindus and Muslims have been at loggerheads over the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, the decades-old socio-religious debate in Ayodhya.

The situation took a dramatic turn after the Supreme Court on Monday posted the matter for further hearing in January 2019, saying that it had its "own priorities" and called for an ordinance route if all other options run out.

Feeling “insulted” by the Supreme Court’s declaration on Ayodhya land dispute case, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday threatened to launch a 1992-like agitation 'if needed' to ensure the construction of Ram Temple.

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A three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is dealing with a clutch of petitions filed against the Allahabad High Court's 2010 verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case.