Ram Temple construction next month: Ram Janambhoomi Nyas

As the clamour grew for an ordinance to build Ram Temple, the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Ram Vilas Vedanti on Saturday claimed that the temple construction will begin next month.

Speaking to ANI, Vedanti, who is a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP), said a mosque will be built in Lucknow.

"Construction of Ram Temple will begin in December. Without an ordinance and on the basis of mutual agreement, Ram Temple will be constructed in Ayodhya and a masjid will be made in Lucknow," he said.

Vedanti's statement comes a day after Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey claimed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has a plan for the Ayodhya issue, which would be revealed around Diwali.

Earlier on Friday, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said that his organisation "will not hesitate to launch a 1992-like agitation for Ram Temple, if needed.

"We respect the Supreme Court and urge it to take into consideration sentiments of Hindus," Joshi told ANI.

A section of the Hindu right wing and even few members of the BJP have demanded an ordinance to permit the construction of the Ram temple before the Supreme Court pronounces the judgement in the Ayodhya title suit.

On October 29, the apex court had adjourned the hearing of the case until January 2019. The court was hearing petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict of 2010, which stated that the disputed land in Ayodhya should be divided into three parts for each party - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lala.

The Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a group of some Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed by Mughal king Babur after demolishing a Ram Temple that originally stood there. Since then, several hearings have been held in the top court to resolve the issue.