Will write letter to trust urging to install idols of Kevat, Shabri at Ayodhya's Ram Mandir: Malik

The trust which will be set up for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya should allot space for installation of idols of the members of tribal and lower caste people at the temple, who helped Lord Ram in his journey to Sri Lanka, said Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik.

"The whole country wants a big Ram temple to be constructed in Ayodhya. But I think there is no one who has asked for a space allotted for the people who helped Lord Ram in his journey. When Lord Ram was on his way to Sri Lanka, he was helped by all Adivasis (tribals) and people from the lower castes. I am yet to hear people demanding idols of Kevat and Shabri (who helped Lord Ram) in the Ram Darbar," Malik said at an event here.

"The day the trust is made I will write a letter to it urging them to install idols of the people who fought with him, on the side of truth. That is the true India," Malik added.

The Goa Governor said that he was not afraid of any controversy on the topic and said that the temple will neither be "complete nor grand" if the idols of Adivasi and lower caste people who helped Lord Ram in his endeavours was excluded.

Malik was speaking after the inauguration of the second Tribal Students' Convention at Rajiv Gandhi Kala Mandir in Ponda in south Goa.

Malik urged the students to focus on their studies and sports and aim higher for the betterment of society.

During the course of his speech, he also recounted the experiences of his colleagues who came from marginalised backgrounds.

Malik said the students should take inspiration from the lives of Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

"The Adivasi and the so-called lower caste students should learn about their history, they and they alone helped Lord Ram in his journey and they should be proud of it," he added.