Ayodhya row: No birthday gift for VHP leader Ashok Singhal

The BJP took the stand that the Ram Temple issue can’t be solved by court and would need consensus or legislation.

New Delhi: RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat looks on as Swami Satyamitranand felicitates VHP President Ashok Singhal during launch of the coffee table book “Hinduttva ke Purodha” on his life, in New Delhi on Thursday. (Source: PTI)

It now seems Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal has little hope a Ram Temple will be constructed in Ayodhya anytime soon. When his supporters celebrated his 89th birthday in New Delhi on Thursday, neither he, nor RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat nor Home Minister Rajnath Singh mentioned the issue.

While Narendra Modi government has already put the three most controversial issues of the Sangh Pariwar — the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution and Common Civil Code — in the cold storage, Singhal is said to be getting impatient. On his birthday, associate Vishnuhari Dalmia said the Modi government should give Ram Temple as a birthday gift to Singhal.

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But surprisingly, even Singhal himself did not mention the issue in his address. In fact, Singhal, who is still active despite his old age, is one of the oldest RSS pracharaks and launched a campaign for Ram Temple in Ayodhya after joining VHP.

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This May, BJP president Amit Shah had said that the party needs 370 seats in Lok Sabha to solve issues like Ram Temple and Article 370.

Singhal launched Ayodhya movement in mid eighties. The BJP took the stand that the Ram Temple issue can’t be solved by court and would need consensus or legislation. That time the whole Sangh Pariwar was with him, but now only the VHP seems convinced that it is a proper time to raise the issue.

While Singhal and his associates might want to see the Ram Temple there are very few in the sangh pariwar who are convinced with him at this stage.

Shyamlal Yadav

Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC’s lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More

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