BJP not on back foot on Ram temple issue: Amit Shah

Says when the judgement of the SC comes, we will follow the judgement and everybody else also must respect it

Rejecting reports that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dumped its core ideological issues such as constructing a Ram temple and repealing Article 370, among others, on the pretext of lacking a two-thirds majority in Parliament, its president, Amit Shah, on Wednesday said the party was not on the back foot on the temple issue.

“The party will take a decision at the right time,” Shah told reporters here. “The case (of a Ram temple) is pending before the Supreme Court. When the judgment comes, and, as the party has stated earlier, we will follow the judgment and everybody else also must respect it,” he said.

“We also believe that another way of construction of a Ram temple is to resolve the issue by talks with all parties. We can also find a way by out-of-court settlement. Both ways are open for us,” he said.

Shah, however, denied he had spoken anything on the Ram temple on Tuesday (at his press meet in Delhi).

“On Tuesday, nobody uttered anything on Ram temple, neither the person who asked the question nor the person who answered that question,” he said.

A statement made by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on May 10 in Ayodhya that BJP cannot bring in a law for construction of a Ram temple as it does not have majority in Rajya Sabha, had angered Hindu saints.

In reply to a question on what his party planned to do with the core issues as it had a majority now, Shah had said on Tuesday they required 370 members of Parliament, two-thirds majority, to implement these.

Asked if the BJP is helpless in repealing Article 370, Shah said it needs two-third majority in Parliament to quash it.

“There is no helplessness on the Kashmir issue. Article 370 is not only an issue of the Jammu and Kashmir government, but it needs a two-third majority,” Shah said.

When pointed out that the BJP has enough majority in Parliament, he said, “It is not enough to amend the Constitution.”