Vishwa Hindu Parishad Wants Ram Temple In Every Village

Lucknow: With Ayodhya Ram Temple issue bouncing back to the centre stage of Uttar Pradesh politics ahead of the 2017 Assembly polls, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to construct temples in every village across the country.

"The organisation has decided to set up a temple of Lord Ram in every village," spokesman of VHP, Sharad Sharma said today.

He said from Ram Navami on April 15, the organization would start a seven-day-long Ram Mahotsava. "During this period Lord Ram will be worshipped in every village," he said.

Mr Sharma said the target is to reach 1.25 lakh villages.

"We had been observing Ram Mahotsava in the past and the organisation has already reached 70,000-75,000 villages pan India," he said.

Mr Sharma said that during Ram Mahotsava, statues of Lord Ram would be worshipped. "Whether it is a statue or picture it will be installed at a place after worship," he said.

The Ayodhya Ram temple issue is pending before the Supreme Court but it is again in focus in Uttar Pradesh (UP) politics ahead of Assembly elections next year.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is an affiliate of the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which heads the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy recently exuded confidence that work on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would start before the year-end.

He, however, made it clear that the temple would not come up through a movement but only after the court verdict, which he hoped would come by August-September, and with the mutual consent of Muslim and Hindu communities.

Asked if raising the Ram temple issue was linked to Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in early 2017, he said, "Ram should not be linked with elections. Ram is a matter of faith for Hindus and construction of the temple at Ayodhya is a commitment of every Hindu.