"We will not accept anything less than the construction of a grand Ram Temple. If the government fulfils it, then it will get the blessings else it won't. How will it be achieved, we leave it to them. The government has, however, indicated that they will do it. We want it to be done within a year but I think it will take 2-3 years," Bhagwat told the gathering.
"The temple won't be constructed just to please people, it will rather be a proclamation towards the formation of the Hindu Rashtra," he added. Irrespective of political upheavals, the blessings of saints and and public sentiment show that the temple will definitely be made, Bhagwat said.
He suggested it may be alright to watch developments for up to about six months, but after that we all should ensure" that the construction begins. “.. if something happens in the coming 4-6 months, it’s a good thing but in the second term of this government the construction work will begin surely.”
Bhagwat praised the BJP-led government for bringing a Bill in Parliament to help non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring countries to seek Indian citizenship. He said any agitation for the Ram temple will have an impact on the scene ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
He said that those campaigning for the temple must not get diverted from their goal. He said people should be made aware of the issue and, if needed, there should be an expression of “anger”.
The Ram temple at the disputed Ayodhya site was on top of agenda of the two-day ‘dharm sansad', the religious council which on Friday was presided over by Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas head Mahant Nritya Gopal Das.
The VHP meeting comes days after the Centre filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to transfer the surplus land adjacent to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site to its original owners.
Referring to the petition, the RSS chief said the government has made its intentions clear.
An earlier meeting at Kumbh Mela, by another set of seers, had taken a tougher stand on the construction of the temple. In that gathering on Wednesday, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati had called for a ceremony at the disputed site on February 21 to mark the beginning of construction of the temple.