The VHP has said the scheduled 'Dharam Sabha' in Ayodhya on Sunday as its 'last effort' to clear the hurdles for the construction of a Ram temple in the temple town. (File Photo/PTI)
In its efforts to mount pressure on the government for bringing a law to construct a grand Ram temple, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is all set to hold several rallies across the country beginning November 25 from Ayodhya.
The VHP has said the scheduled 'Dharam Sabha' in Ayodhya on Sunday as its 'last effort' to clear the hurdles for the construction of a Ram temple in the temple town.
Hundreds and thousands of VHP cadres are slated to attend the 'Dharam Sabha' on Sunday in the temple town. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is visiting Ayodhya a day before the VHP event to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla.
"The VHP has been demanding that the government bring a law at the earliest to build a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya. We will be holding countrywide rallies from November 25 followed by other rallies in December," VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal told new agency IANS.
The VHP has planned to organisation three rallies in Ayodhya, Nagpur and Bengaluru on November 25. It will be followed by a grand rally in Delhi on December 9 this year.
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After the December 9 mega rally in Delhi, the VHP has also planned to start a nation-wide movement from December 18.
"Lakhs of Ram bhakts will participate in these rallies. And ultimately, we will wage a nation-wide movement from December 18," said Vinod Bansal.
In a statement, VHP regional organisational secretary Bholend said there would be no more congregations and the next stop for them would be the beginning of the temple's construction.
Hundreds and thousands of VHP cadres are slated to attend the 'Dharam Sabha'
The VHP has also announced holding of public meetings in each and every parliamentary constituency and delegations of sants will meet their MPs and urge them to make a law in Parliament.
As the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the Ram Janmabhoomi appeals to 2019, the RSS and the VHP have been demanding that the central government enact a law in Parliament's Winter Session for constructing a Ram temple.
The VHP's call comes ahead of a two-day Dharm Sansad in January in Allahabad to discuss the Ram temple issue.
'If need be, 1992 will be repeated at Ayodhya'
Known for controversial remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Surendra Singh has said "if need be, 1992 would be repeated in Ayodhya on November 25".
The ruling party legislator from Beria in Ballia district referred to the demolition of the Babri mosque at the disputed site in the temple town by 'kar sevaks' on December 6, 1992.
Carved stones are seen at the Ram Janmabhomi Nyas-run workshop at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya. (Photo/PTI)
"If the situation so warrants, we will take law in our hands and ensure that the Ram temple is built at the very site" news agency IANS quoted him as saying. The temple, he said, would be built at all costs -- "constitutionally, legally or some other way."
"Lord Ram is put up under a tent and 'puja' is being performed every day, so why delay," the legislator said.
'VHP's Ayodhya event being held with elections in mind'
As activists gather in Ayodhya, some Muslim leaders have also expressed fears over the safety of their community in Ayodhya during the Vishwa Hindu Parishad 'Dharma Sabha'.
However, few Muslim leaders see the 'Dharam Sabha' in Ayodhya a design to woo voters.
"The motive is political and there is no doubt about it. The ground is being prepared for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls," All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Zafaryab Jilani told PTI.
Shiv Sena workers too are expected in Ayodhya around this time.
Another AIMPLB member Khalid Rashid Farangimahli also linked the VHP event to elections.
"Even a small child knows that there is an attempt to spoil the atmosphere in the country to reap benefits at the time when assembly elections are being held in some states, and the Lok Sabha elections are due early next year," he said.
Zafaryab Jilani said as it becomes certain that the Ayodhya verdict will not be delivered before the Lok Sabha polls, there is an attempt to keep intact the vote of the people who participated in the last elections hoping for a Ram temple.
"People were getting disenchanted with those who had promised a temple in Ayodhya, and this is yet another attempt to keep their hopes in such forces alive and befool them for some more time," Jilani said.
Both leaders said the government should ensure the security of Muslims and Hindus living in Ayodhya when the VHP event takes place, keeping in mind the `kar seva' in 1992 which ended with the demolition of the Babri mosque on the disputed site.
"It is the responsibility of the government and the administration to make foolproof arrangements for the security of the common people in Ayodhya to ensure that no untoward incident like that in 1992 takes place again," Farangimahli said.
He said some statements ahead of the Dharma Sabha had created apprehension among the Muslims in Ayodhya, but did not elaborate.
Three Muslim plaintiffs in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit -- Iqbal Ansari, Haji Mahboob and Mohammad Umar -- recently claimed that the community felt insecure in Ayodhya.
"As the VHP and Shiv Sena gather their activists in large numbers in Ayodhya, the Muslim community here is feeling very insecure. We might leave Ayodhya," Ansari had said.
Another plaintiff, Mohammad Umar, agreed.
"We do not want any disturbance here as we want to live in peace," he said.
"Ayodhya is our birthplace, we are here since generations. But we still remember how the VHP and Shiv Sena activists attacked Muslims after the demolition of Babri Masjid here on December 6, 1992," he added.
'No one needs to be afraid of anything'
Faizabad City Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar Singh has, however, assured the community's safety.
"No one needs to be afraid of anything. We are arranging heavy security on the days of the proposed functions," he has said.
The VHP has said it expects a crowd of over one lakh people for the Dharma Sabha. In a similar event later in New Delhi, over five lakh people are expected, the VHP has claimed.
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