UP Govt. has not convened meeting on building of Ram Temple: Naresh Agarwal

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Naresh Agarwal clarified on Saturday that the Uttar Pradesh Government is not planning to rebuild the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, but had called a meeting to discuss arrangements ahead of upcoming festivals.

"It must a mistake. The state government has filed a fresh memorandum, and there was never a meeting convened to discuss the Ram Temple. All the meetings held these days are about the arrangements by the management for Diwali, Dusshera and Bakr-eid.

There is no discussion regarding the temple building," he said.

"Moreover, when the Supreme Court has put a stay order on the Ram Temple, why will the Uttar Pradesh Government call a meeting in this regard? The U.P. Government is not against any particular community and religion," he added.

According to reports, the communique issued by Satish Chandra Mishra, secretary to the state government, instructed the DGP and other senior police officers to attend a meeting convened on Monday evening in connection with the 'enactment of a law in Parliament for construction of a temple at Shri Ramjanmabhoomi on the lines of the reconstruction of Somnath Mandir'.

The meeting of senior law enforcement officers and bureaucrats was convened to review the law and order situation in Faizabad District ahead of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP's) proposed Sankalp Diwas related event on October 18.

The state government, however, said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss VHP's fresh plan to revive its temple campaign.