Ayodhya dispute: 'Construction work for Ram temple will start before 2019 Lok Sabha polls'

The working president of the Ram Mandir Nyas Board, Ram Vilas Vedanti, claimed the construction work for a "grand" Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will start before the 2019 general elections with the consensus of both Hindus and Muslims.

The working president of the Ram Mandir Nyas Board, Ram Vilas Vedanti, claimed the construction work for a "grand" Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will start before the 2019 general elections with the consensus of both Hindus and Muslims. Photo: File

AYODHYA: Amidst growing demand for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya without further delay, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday organised *'Dharma Sabha',* touted as the largest congregation of 'Ram bhakts' in Ayodhya since the 1992 'kar seva'. Addressing the gathering here, the working president of the Ram Mandir Nyas Board, Ram Vilas Vedanti, claimed the construction work for a "grand" Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will start before the 2019 general elections with the consensus of both Hindus and Muslims. "We do not want any bloodshed and want to build a grand Ram mandir over 67 acres of land in Ayodhya with the consensus of all, including the Muslims. "Negotiations are going on in this regard and the construction work for a grand Ram temple will start anytime in December," PTI quoted Vedanti as saying. The former BJP MP, however, added that if in case the work did not start in December for some reason, it would certainly start before the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Vedanti said a new masjid will also be built in Lucknow. He further claimed that the president of the Shia Waqf Board had already given in writing to the Supreme Court, "supporting the construction of a grand Ram temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram." "We will welcome political leaders across party affiliations to take part in the construction of the temple, which we want to complete with the involvement of all the leaders and communities," Vedanti said. Last week, in a sting operation by ABP News, Vedanti has claimed that planning for Ram temple in Ayodhya was going on at an unprecedented level. "Such a grand preparation is underway that you cannot even imagine," he had said. With the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title suit still in the Supreme Court, Vedanti professed that the temple can also be constructed without the court's order. "It has been 500 years that the temple was demolished and no decision has been taken on its construction till date. Therefore, we don't believe that the court will decide on it," he told ABP News' undercover reported. "Did Babar come with court's order to demolish the temple or did we follow the law when we razed the disputed structure? When all of this can happen without court's permission, the Ram temple can also be erected without court's verdict," he said.