Enraged over Naqvi's Ram temple remark, Ayodhya Mahants meet Yogi Adityanath

Enraged over Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s remarks that Ram Mandir and Hindutva will not be the BJP's election issues in 2019, a delegation of Sadhu’s from Ayodhya met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his seven Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow on Thursday.

Mahant Suresh Das of Digambar Akhara and Mahant Bharat Das of Udasin Ashram along with other monks met Yogi to discuss the issue building Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

After the meeting, Mahant Suresh Das said that Yogi assured them that the construction of Ram Temple will start soon and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given them his assurance.

“We discussed the development of Ayodhya with the chief minister and the issue of building Ram Temple was also part of our talks. There is no importance of Naqvi’s statement,” Suresh Das said.

Earlier on June 3, Naqvi had said that said that neither Ram temple nor Hindutva but only ‘Vikas’ (development) would be BJP’s election issue for 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“Vikas, Vikas, Vikas,” ANI quoted Naqvi as saying in response to a question on being asked if Hindutva and Ram temple will be the election issues in the 2019 general elections.

The statement of Naqvi angered many, including the monks of Ayodhya, who are advocating for the construction of Ram Temple at disputed land in Ayodhya.

Since 1990, when then BJP president LK Advani conducted the political-religious march ‘Ram Rath Yatra’, Ram temple and Hindutva has been on top of the BJP’s electoral issues in every election.

In 2014, the party sensed that a large section of voters can’t be wooed only by the agenda of Hindutva and Ram temple and fought the election on the issue of ‘development’.

However, the saffron party also included building Ram temple at the earliest in its election manifesto and some of the leaders even played Hindutva card to seek votes.