RJD leader Rabri Devi backs construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, says consensus is needed

RJD leader Rabri Devi on Monday backed the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya but also said that a consensus is needed for the same. The former Bihar chief minister, speaking in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, said that the matter is pending in the Supreme Court and as much as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tries, it will yield no result. She also dared the BJP to construct the temple and said that for them, the temple issue is just a poll gimmick.

The issue of the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya is raging all over the country, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition parties have consistently raised this issue and traded barbs at each other. A senior VHP activist had acknowledged that people would need more efforts to connect with this issue and this would be the biggest issue before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to News 18.

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On Sunday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organised a Dharma Sabha at the Bade Bhakt Mal Ki Baghia near the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas worksho with a senior religious leader asserting the dates for the construction would be announced early next year. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad claimed over 3 lakh people attended the congregation as devotees from all walks of life descended here to discuss the way forward for building the temple.

Besides the VHP Dharma Sabha, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who arrived in Ayodhya on Saturday, also addressed party workers over the issue of Ram temple in Ayodhya. 

Speaking to reporters during a press conference, the Sena chief said the BJP government will not return to power if they don’t build Ram temple. Taking a jibe at the Modi government, Thackeray said that if the court is to decide the fate of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, then the BJP should not use the issue to gain votes in elections and tell the people that it was also a ‘jumla’ (gimmick).

Also Read | Say this if Ram temple was also a ‘jumla’: Uddhav Thackeray in Ayodhya

 “If the matter has to go to court then don’t use the issue during elections and say that brother and sisters forgive us as this was also an election ‘jumla’. But don’t play with the sentiments of Hindus,” Thackeray said.

Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark on Ram temple, the Sena leader had said, “I have heard that CM Yogi had said that there was a temple in Ayodhya, it is there in Ayodhya and will always remain in Ayodhya. This is what we think, this is our faith. But the sad part that it is not visible yet. When will the temple appear?”