UP govt creating misconception about yatra: Rambhadracharya

Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya today accused the Uttar Pradesh government and some seers of creating misconception about the aborted yatra in Ayodhya and said it has nothing to do with VHP.

"A misconception is being created by the government and some seers having vested interests. Such things are being said by people who have no knowledge of shastras," Swami Rambhadracharya told PTI.

On being asked about timing of the yatra, he said it has nothing to do with Lok Sabha elections or any organisation.

"The time of the yatra was decided during Maha Kumbh and it has nothing to do with any organisation, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad. This yatra was purely of and by the seers."

He said Chaurasi Kosi was one of the worships and has been mentioned in Yajurveda.

"Ayodhya is one of the dhams...There are 84 lakh yonis (life forms) and this parikrama is done to get rid of these yonis," he said.

Rambhadracharya said the parikrama tradition was not new. "This parikrama is centuries old."

Justifying the government's decision to ban the yatra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had said, "It was necessary as the yatra was not religious but a political one which could vitiate the communal atmosphere in the state."

Rambhadracharya said the government had filed an affidavit in court that it would pave way for construction of the temple if it was proved that some previous structure was razed to build the mosque.

"Two years have passed since the High Court judgement came...The government forgot its promise...We only wanted to remind it by undertaking parikrama," he said.

"It is the place of the lord and only his structures should come up there. This is parikrama of the lord and there is nothing beyond that. To say that it is to benefit BJP is pure misconception," he said.

On the Supreme Court directing to maintain status quo on the site, he said there was no violation of it.

"We were not there to construct anything...We were only creating awareness. Don't we have the right to raise our demand," he said.

He claimed that during a meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP supremo had said if seers want to undertake parikrama, they can do it.

Rambhadracharya said seers would observe Sankalp Diwas on October 18 after which a non-violent public awareness campaign would be launched.

"We will create the background for construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya and it will certainly come up," he said.