Ram Mandir issue: Farooq Abdullah asks 'why build temple in Ayodhya'; JDU leader snaps 'why not'

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was immediately countered by JD(U) leader Pavan Verma who asked why can't Ram temple be built in Ayodhya.

Image: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah/ANI

New Delhi: Amid the political hustle around the Ram Temple issue, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah struck a controversy when he asked why a Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya when Lord Ram is omnipresent and belongs to the world. He also said that though he does not have an objection to the construction of the Ram temple, but asked whether one was ready to accept a Supreme Court verdict in the matter. Abdullah was speaking during a discussion after the launch of Congress leader Manish Tewari's book "Fables of Fractured Times", when he said, "Lord Ram belongs to the world and is omnipresent. Why do you want to build a temple in Ayodhya?" He was however, immediately countered by JD(U) leader Pavan Verma who asked Why can't Ram temple be built in Ayodhya. Verma argued that if Hindus want a temple in Ayodhya, as it is the birthplace of Ram, why not build the temple. He said  "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?" Responding to Verma’s counter argument, Abdullah went on to ask whether one was ready to accept a Supreme Court verdict in the matter. The Supreme Court last month had said that an "appropriate bench" will decide in the first week of January the schedule of hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case. "You want to put the Supreme Court in cold water," the NC leader alleged and asked whether we are living in a democracy. "Why not build a temple at Sitamarhi in Bihar for Goddess Sita," Abdullah asked. "All Muslims have said they will abide by what the court says," he said, to which Verma replied, "Now we are in agreement." Abdullah later said "Pakistan is a rogue state. It is dependent on its army. But if we are united, nobody is so powerful to divide this country," he said. "Ram does not need my vote nor does Allah need our vote. The elections are not being fought on developmental issues," he lamented.