VHP halts Ram Temple campaign till end of Lok Sabha polls, says 'does not want it to be election issue'

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday said its campaign for building a Ram temple in Ayodhya has been stopped temporarily till the general elections are over, as the organisation does not want it to become an election issue.

The VHP, which spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign, has been running programmes across the country for the last several months, demanding a law in parliament for building the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

"The VHP has decided to suspend its campaign for constructing the Ram temple at Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya till the general election process gets over, as the organisation does not want it to become an election issue," said VHP's international joint general secretary Surendra Jain.

Mr Jain said the organisation is committed to its cause for building the Ram temple in Ayodhya and will decide the course of action once the new government is formed.

The announcement comes just days after a meeting called by the VHP in Prayagraj on the sidelines of the Kumbh Mela, adopted a resolution saying they will not rest until a grand temple is built at the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The general elections are due by May.

READ: Plea Filed In Supreme Court Challenging Acquisition Of Land Adjoining The Disputed Site In Ayodhya

On January 30, the seers at the Dharam Sansad which took place at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj declared that construction of the Ram Mandir will begin on February 21.

Swaroopanand Saraswati, the Dwarka Pith's Shankaracharya, made the announcement. He also said that the foundation stone would be laid on February 21. He expressed that this would not be in violation of any court order, citing how till the Allahabad High Court's 2010 verdict is superceded by the Supreme Court, it would continue to apply. 

Meanwhile, a petition was filed in Supreme Court on Monday challenging the acquisition of the adjoining land to the disputed Ayodhya site on the grounds that the "Parliament has no legislative competence to take over/acquire the property belonging to the State" and is violative of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. 

(With PTI inputs)