Lord Ram omnipresent, why build temple in Ayodhya, asks Farooq Abdullah

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and the National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday asked why a Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya as lord Ram is omnipresent and belongs to the world. "Lord Ram belongs to the world and is omnipresent. Why do you want to build a temple in Ayodhya?" he said.

ALSO READ | Former Norway PM in Kashmir; Omar Abdullah seeks MEA clarification

Farooq Abdullah was speaking at the launch of a book Fables of Fractured Times by former Union minister Manish Tewari in the national capital.

"If Hindus want a temple, let there be a temple. The question is not whether a temple should be built. The question is how it will be built - by use of force or violence or by mutual agreement or court orders?" he said.

Farooq Abdullah, referring to the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that his behaviour is unbecoming of a prime minister. "Has he forgotten what Nehru did for the country? Has he forgotten what Indira Gandhi did for this country -- she gave her life for the nation. If we are here, it is because of the legacy that has been passed on to us. His (Modi's) conduct is just not becoming of the prime minister. I have never referred to my mother in my political speeches. What is he doing?" Abdullah asked.

ALSO READ | Manmohan Singh's advice for PM Modi: Exercise due restraint

Praising former prime minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Farooq Abdullah said, “Even as he came from the RSS background, he understood the fact that  nation could not be run by one man.”