Shiv Sena asks Mohan Bhagwat to announce date of Ram temple construction

Mumbai

: Welcoming RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remarks on construction of a Ram temple during his lifetime, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said he should announce a date for its commencement.

-"We welcome the stand taken by Mohan Bhagwat on the issue. He should now announce a date for the commencement of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to give an impetus to the issue...If a temple cannot be built there despite the bloodshed that happened over the issue, what about the hundreds of people who sacrificed their lives for the cause,-" the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

It said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the -"courage-" to build a Ram Temple in Ayodhya and that his popularity will only increase once he takes the issue in his hands.

-"To show that it is not only the minorities who are pampered by the government, construction of a Ram temple is a necessity.... If it is not built now, it can never be built,-" it said.

-"This issue cannot be prolonged anymore. It needs to be finished now. The blood that has been shed over the issue should not be disrespected,-" the Sena, which is an NDA constituent, said.

Bhagwat had on Wednesday said, -"The grand goal may be realised in our own time. May be we can see it with our own eyes.-"

-"None can say when and how the temple will be constructed, but we need to be prepared and ready,-" he had said.