Allocate Ayodhya land for Ram temple construction: Swamy writes to Modi

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate land in Ayodhya for building the Ram temple and also declare the Ram Setu a national heritage monument.

In a letter to Modi, Swamy said the government required no permission from the Supreme Court to allocate land for constructing the temple as it was taken over by former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao's dispensation in 1993.

The Ayodhya land dispute is pending in the Supreme Court.

In January, the Modi government filed an application in the apex court, seeking its nod to return over 67 acre surplus land around the disputed area to its original owner, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, a trust formed for construction of the temple.

Swamy, in his letter, said the government's submission in the court was made "erroneously" as it required no permission because the land remained in its possession.

The government needs no permission from any authority to allocate land to anybody in public interest, he claimed.

He also demanded that the Ram Setu be declared a national heritage monument.