New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commence construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya and declare Ram Setu as a national monument.

In a letter written to the Prime Minister on May 31, the day he assumed office, Swamy said that the Union government has the right to take over anybody's land in public interest and requested it to assure the Supreme Court that just compensation will be given to all parties in the Ramjanmabhoomi - Babri Masjid land dispute and allocate the "disputed" land for building the Ram Temple.

"There is no bar in law which stands in the way of the Government of India allocating the 67.72 acres of land in Ayodhya to anybody which has a public character for building the Ram Temple. The government can inform the Supreme Court that compensation, as decided by the court, will be paid to the winning appellant," he said.

Swamy argued that the Narasimha Rao government had nationalised the entire land, both disputed and undisputed, therefore the Supreme Court should only be concerned about compensation.

"As per the amendments in 1993 and in 1994, a Constitution Bench of the SC upheld the nationalisation as valid. Thereafter all the parties except the Ramjanmabhumi Nyas Samiti accepted the compensation paid by the government for the land nationalisation," Swamy wrote.

He said the Centre should assure the apex court that just compensation will be paid to the decided title holder as determined by it.

"In fact, as a generosity, both the parties can be paid compensation if they withdraw their respective appeals in the SC before adjudication," he said.

In the four-page letter, Swamy also demanded that the "Ram Setu" should be declared a National Heritage Monument under the 1958 act.

"The Ram Setu satisfies all the criteria laid down in the Act for such a declaration.

"The issue was cleared by the Ministry of Culture but did not come up for approval at the Cabinet level for whatever reason. My request to you is that the Union of India counsels in the Supreme Court be directed to make a statement that the government has agreed to recognize the Rama Setu as a National Heritage Monument," he said.