New Delhi: Announcing that "Lord Ram is an integral part of Indian life," Union Minister Mahesh Sharma told NDTV today that a "Ramayana museum" being planned for the communally-sensitive town of Ayodhya "is not the political agenda" of the BJP ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Sharma, who is Tourism Minister, said that Ayodhya's development will get a big push from the 150 crores allotted to developing the museum. The state government has allotted it a plot 15 km from the site where the Babri Masjid was torn down in 1992, triggering deadly communal riots across the country.
While campaigning for the election he swept in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed development and economic growth, and his government has avoided giving hard-liners within the party license to talk of constructing a new temple. They are making themselves heard now. "A lollipop won't do," said Vinay Katiyar. "People want a Ram Mandir (temple)," said the Rajya Sabha MP.
In 2010, the Allahabad High Court in 2010 said the disputed site should be split equally between Muslims, Hindus and the large and wealthy Nirmohi Akhara sect -that verdict has been challenged in the Supreme Court by Hindu and Muslim organizations.
Mr Sharma, who is Tourism Minister, said that Ayodhya's development will get a big push from the 150 crores allotted to developing the museum. The state government has allotted it a plot 15 km from the site where the Babri Masjid was torn down in 1992, triggering deadly communal riots across the country.
While campaigning for the election he swept in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed development and economic growth, and his government has avoided giving hard-liners within the party license to talk of constructing a new temple. They are making themselves heard now. "A lollipop won't do," said Vinay Katiyar. "People want a Ram Mandir (temple)," said the Rajya Sabha MP.
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In 2010, the Allahabad High Court in 2010 said the disputed site should be split equally between Muslims, Hindus and the large and wealthy Nirmohi Akhara sect -that verdict has been challenged in the Supreme Court by Hindu and Muslim organizations.
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