London: The coverage of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has come under the wrath of a UK MP as he claimed the UK-based media had "biased" coverage of Ram Mandir's consecration ceremony in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on January 22. Rober John Blackman, who is more popular as Bob Blackman-- is a British politician who has been a Member of Parliament for Harrow East since 2010-- has raised grave concerns over the coverage of the BBC as the report claimed that "the temple replaces a 16th-Century mosque torn down by Hindu mobs in 1992".
"BBC forget that Ram Mandir...."
He said that the BBC report forgot to mention the fact that it had been a temple for more than 2,000 years before that happened. Blackman also mentioned the ruling of the Supreme Court which ordered the allocation of a five-acre site to Muslims on which to erect a mosque adjacent to the town. "Last week in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the Ram Mandir was consecrated. This was of great joy to Hindus across the world as being the birthplace of Lord Ram," Blackman said while speaking at the UK Parliament.
"Very sadly, the BBC, in their coverage reported, of course, that this was the site of the destruction of a mosque, forgetting the fact that it had been a temple for more than 2,000 years before that happened and that the Muslims had been allocated a five-acre site on which to erect a mosque adjacent to the town," added the MP.
History of building Ram Temple in Ayodhya
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a Hindu temple on January 22, where the country's top celebrities from across the life were seen in great attendance. The temple, which is still under construction, is dedicated to Hinduism’s Lord Ram and fulfils a long-standing demand by millions of Hindus who worship the revered deity.
Built at an estimated cost of $217 million and spread over nearly 7.4 acres, the temple lies atop the debris of the 16th-century Babri Mosque, which was razed to the ground in 1992. It is believed that the mosque was built on temple ruins marking the birthplace of Lord Ram.
The site has long been a religious flashpoint for the two communities. The dispute ended in 2019 when the Supreme Court called the mosque’s destruction “an egregious violation” of the law but granted the site to Hindus while giving Muslims a different plot of land.
