Two truckloads had arrived in Ayodhya on Monday. The issue resonated in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned briefly this morning after chaos over the Ram Temple issue in Ayodhya. Opposition members entered the well of the House over the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's move to collect engraved stones for construction of the temple and transporting them to the temple town in Uttar Pradesh.
In the afternoon, addressing a press conference after the winter session ended, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu remarked, "All countrymen want a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. How, when and what is the question." The minister refused to elaborate on his comment.
Earlier, Janata Dal (United) lawmaker KC Tyagi raised the issue shortly after the House met on Wednesday. He said the move was aimed at creating a communally charged atmosphere in the state ahead of the elections. Assembly elections are due in the North Indian state in early 2017. Members entered the well of the house to protest the VHP's action, shouting "stop manufacturing riots in UP."
Outside Parliament, BSP chief Mayawati asked the BJP to "restrain its people." The Ram Temple, she said, "has always been on the agenda of the BJP, RSS and others."
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi intervened on behalf of the government to say that stone carving for construction of the temple has been going at a site 1.5 km away from the disputed site since 1990. The government and the BJP are of the view that the court decision on the dispute should be accepted, he said. "Please wait for court decision. All of us should respect it," the minister added. Outside, area BJP MP Adityanath said the process of engraving and transporting stones has been going on since 1990.
Two truckloads of engraved stones from Rajasthan and Gujarat had reportedly arrived in Ayodhya on Monday. "Now, the time has come for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Lots of stones arrived today in Ayodhya and their arrival will continue. We have signals from Modi government that Mandir (temple) construction would be done now," religious leader Mahant Nritya Gopal Das said, news agency Press Trust of India reported.