If Ram temple cannot be built now, then when: Shiv Sena

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Thursday demanded an apology from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the death of the ‘kar sevaks’ in the Ram Mandir agitation. Drawing an analogy from the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the subsequent apology from the Congress, the Sena asked the BJP to take responsibility for the massacre of kar sevaks during the Ram temple agitation in Ayodhya and apologise to the people of the country.

In an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, the party said that it is being propagated that Mr Narendra Modi has answered all the queries of the people, but that is incorrect. The Prime Minister has spoken on the Ram temple, demonetisation and the general election among other issues, but the people have not received answers to the issues, which are close to their hearts.

The editorial also said that since the Ram temple issue is being discussed widely, it was expected that Mr Modi would make an important announcement regarding the temple. We had hoped that the exile of Lord Ram would finally end. But Mr Modi has adopted a completely contrary position on this issue.

“The Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and we had demanded that an ordinance to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya be brought. But Mr Modi refused the proposal. The Prime Minister said the matter is subjudice before the Supreme Court. Once it passes judgment on the issue, we will think of the ordinance.” The Sena asked, “The question now is that if a temple cannot be constructed in a majority government, when will it ever be?”

“If a Ram temple cannot be built before 2019, it will be like a betrayal of the people of this country. And for this, the BJP and the RSS should apologise to the people.”