Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the Delhi elections, the central government announced in Parliament on Wednesday the formation of a trust for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The announcement follows the direction by the Supreme Court in its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case last November.
“I am happy to announce that a significant decision has been taken in our cabinet meeting to follow the directives of the Supreme Court. The cabinet has prepared a detailed plan for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya. We will set up a trust called Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha kshetra, which will take decisions independently on the construction of a Ram temple and related issues,” said PM Modi amid Jai Shree Ram chants in the Lok Sabha.
“The entire 67 acres around the site had been handed over to the trust, to maintain the sanctity of Ayodhya and for the construction of the temple, keeping in mind the needs of crores of devotees,” Modi added.
Adhering to the SC order, the Centre directed the Uttar Pradesh government to allot five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board to build a mosque in Ayodhya.
Union home minister Amit Shah said that the trust would comprise of 15 members, which shall include a Dalit. “Its a step to ensure communal harmony and I congratulate PM Narendra Modi for this,” Shah tweeted.
The SC verdict had asked the Centre to form the trust and allot 5 acre acres of land ot Sunni Central Waqf board within three months.
However, the announcement was made just two days before Delhi polls. In a communally charged atmosphere over anti-CAA unrest, the move didn’t go down well with the opposition parties.
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was quick to react to the move. “Parliament session will get over on February 11, the announcement could have come after February 8 (Delhi election date). Seems like the BJP is worried,” said Owaisi.