A section of leaders have been vocal about the construction of a temple in Ayodhya
Highlights
- The Supreme Court is currently giving daily hearings to the title suit
- PM told the 'loudmouths' to have some respect for legal system and courts
- Court also left open possibility of mediation, the parties nixed the idea
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took to task leaders for their comments on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue, asking them to have respect for the legal process. Launching the election campaign in Maharashtra -- where BJP ally and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has expressed confidence that the temple will be built in PM Modi's tenure -- he said, "I want to tell these ''bayan bahadurs aur badbole log' (loudmouths) to have some respect for the legal system and the courts".
The Supreme Court is currently giving daily hearings to the title suit on the 60-year-old temple-mosque dispute, and said the process must be completed before October 18. The judgment has to be delivered before Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17, or the entire process will go into re-start mode. The court has also left open the possibility of mediation, though the parties involved nixed the idea yesterday.
But notwithstanding the legal situation, a section of leaders have been vocal about the temple construction. Mr Thackeray, who had been pressing the government to bypass the legal process and issue an executive order so the temple construction could begin, has repeatedly expressed confidence that the process will start during PM Modi's tenure.
"The way government is working, our hopes have increased as to the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. Now, there is no point in waiting anymore," the Sena chief said again yesterday, citing the government's sweeping action to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two states.
PM Modi, who did not name anyone, tagged such talk as "anaap shaap" (rubbish). "I urge you and request you with folded hands not to make such immature and unnecessary statements... The matter is in the topmost court of country. Have faith and let them carry out the process as they deem best," he said.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, when the government was under pressure to bring an executive order on the temple, PM Modi had advised restraint, point out that the matter was pending in court.
The BJP's stance had raised allegations that it was reluctant about the temple construction and used it only to get votes during elections. Mr Thackeray had been one of the critics of the government.