'Final Battle' for Ram Temple About to Start, Says VHP at 'Dharam Sabha' in Jammu

Jammu: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Sunday organised a 'Dharam Sabha' in Jammu where a top Hindu religious leader called for a legislation to be passed during the ongoing winter session of Parliament for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Jagat Guru Ramanandacharya Swami Hansdevacharya Maharaj of Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti said the "final battle" for the temple is about to start as religious heads are meeting in Uttar Pradesh early next year and there they would make an important announcement.

"Today, we have sounded the bugle from here and our next stop will be Prayagraj (Allahabad) Kumbh on January 31 and February 1. The final battle for the construction of the Ram Temple will be announced there," Maharaj told reporters after addressing the gathering.

He said the saints are waiting for completion of work on stones to be used in the temple. "Once the work is completed, no power will stop us from constructing the temple...and I want to tell those claiming to be secular, we are prepared".

He said the VHP is planning to reach out to people in all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies by holding 'Dharam Sabhas' in six lakh villages across the country.

"A decision to ask volunteers to reach Ayodhya will be taken at Prayagraj Kumbh. We did not taken permission from anybody to bring down the Babri (Masjid) structure on December 6, 1992, and with the demolition, the foundation for Ram Temple was laid," he said.

Asked whether they are prepared to take law in their hands in case the Centre and the apex court did not favour the construction of the temple, he said, "There is no question of taking law into our hands."

He opposed a division of the disputed land and said, "We want the entire land for the construction of the temple and will not allow a mosque there".

VHP central secretary Rajender Singh Pankaj, state VHP leaders, several religious heads, and state BJP leaders attended the Dharam Sabha.

Earlier in his speech, the Maharaj praised the Centre and criticised the Congress which he alleged conspired in 2017 to delay the judgment in the Supreme Court. He also praised the Army, saying it is because of their dedication that subversive activities have dropped.