Ramdev for Ram temple through legislation

Yoga guru Ramdev made a strong pitch for constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya Saturday, saying a legislation should be brought in Parliament if the Supreme Court does not deliver a verdict on the matter soon.

On October 29, the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute case. It said an "appropriate bench" will decide in January when to hear the politically-sensitive case, sparking demands for a law to begin construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.

The Congress and Muslim groups have said they would want all stakeholders to wait for the apex court verdict, and not rush to resolve the issue through a legislation.

Ramdev said there could be sections averse to bringing a legislation for the construction of a temple in Ayodhya but there was no opposition to Ram in India.

"If the apex court does not take a decision on the matter soon, then Parliament is the highest institution in a democracy and there is nothing wrong in bringing a legislation," Ramdev told reporters on the sidelines of a two-day conference at Patanjali Yogpeeth.

"Ayodhya mein Ram Mandir nahin banega toh aur kya banega (What else will be built in Ayodhya if not a Ram temple)," he said.

Fourteen appeals have been filed against a 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement that said the 2.77 acres of disputed land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.