Modi government will go if it doesn't build Ram temple: VHP

Although BJP president Amit Shah says that the Narendra Modi government doesn't have the mandate to address its core issues, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a constituent of the Sangh Parivar, disagrees.

The VHP has said that the huge mandate with which the Modi government came to power was not only for development but also to delver on its core issues, including building a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya.

The Hindu outfit also reminded the government to be ready to "face the consequences" -- like the previous NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- if it did not deliver on the core issues.

"The mandate which the BJP got in last general election was not merely for development. People expect that they will address the core issues too," VHP spokesperson and national secretary Surendra Jain told IANS.

"Despite several comments on the issue by senior BJP leaders, our hope is still alive. We expect that this government will fulfill its commitment to construct a Ram temple at Ayodhya," he added.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Shah said last month that the party needs 370 seats in the Lok Sabha to address its core issues. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said earlier that the core issues were not the government's priority for now as it was focussed on development.

Jain said building the Ram temple was also in the BJP manifesto. "How can they backtrack on the issue?" he asked.

Jain said the previous NDA government didn't address these issues, and the voters had shown them the door. "BJP leaders should learn from their mistakes of the past."

He said a committee of holy men and spiritual leaders would soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to construct the Ram temple.

Recently, the Shiv Sena, another BJP ally, had said that the prime minister should reveal his 'Mann Ki Baat' on the contentious issue of the temple in Ayodhya.

Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar, who was the face of the Ayodhya movement in the 1990s, has said that the government should resolve the issue through legislation or dialogue and not wait for the Supreme Court's verdict.

The Allahabad High Court's verdict on the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi issue is on appeal before the Supreme Court.

(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)