Centre pressurised on temple issue

"The movement will culminate in construction of the grand temple of Ram Lalla,” Katiyar told The Indian Express on Tuesday.

As a first step, the Ayodhya saints will demand that the 68 acres of land around the disputed shrine, acquired by the Centre in 1993, be handed over to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust.

"We are not demanding the 2.67 acres of disputed land, but only that surrounding it which is not disputed and belongs to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,” said Katiyar. The land houses about a dozen temples which have been rendered inaccessible since the acquisition by the Centre, he added.

This is the first major offensive being launched by the pro-Hindutva lobbywithin the ruling BJP, which has maintained its silence since the party came to power with help of 12 regional parties in March this year.

"Muslim appeasement by the Government is on the rise ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre. On the other hand, the party is indifferent to the basic problems being faced by Hindus in worshipping at Ayodhya,” Katiyar alleged.

The MP, who is founder president of the Bajrang Dal and one of the architects of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple movement, does not seem to be bothered about the National Agenda formulated by the ruling coalition, which excludes contentious issues like Article 370 and Ayodhya temple.

"It is for the Government to implement the National Agenda. But I only want implementation of the BJP’s agenda which is committed towards construction of a Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya,” he said.

Besides the worshipping rights of the acquired temples, Katiyar also demands that owners of these temples be allowed to stay in them, demarcation of a place tokeep devotees’ footwear and seating arrangement and parikrama rights for worshipers at Ram Janmabhoomi temple. So far, the devotees are confined behind iron barricades erected by the district administration and guarded by para-military forces.

"The movement will take a broader shape during the Sardar Vallabhhai Patel birth anniversary celebrations in Ayodhya on October 30 this year,” he claimed. Hindutva protagonists may also decide to dismantle the steel barricading around the makeshift temple, he added.

Katiyar claims to have "ignited” the Ram Janmabhoomi temple agitation by organising a convention in Kanpur in 1983, adding that people like VHP general secretary Ashok Singhal joined in later.

The BJP MP feels his party leaders, inebriated with power, have forgotten the basic issue – Ayodhya temple – which catapulted them to power both in Uttar Pradesh and the Centre. Asked if his disregard for the National Agenda didn’t amount to party indiscipline, he retorted, “I am ready to break any disciplinefor the cause of Hindus and Hindutva.”

At the mention of the Babri Masjid Reconstruction Committee launching a workshop to cut stones for the construction of a mosque at the disputed site, Katiyar said, "Let them do whatever they like. Hum int ka jawab patthar se denge."