Mumbai: Key ally of the ruling NDA government, Shiv Sena today said that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya should be constructed with peace and cooperation of all the communities.
Speaking to media, leader Sanjay Raut also said that there should be no involvement of court as the issue is of devotion and faith and not political.
"We are trying to build a temple of Ram, that too in Ayodhya, but we have not been able to do this until now. We started a movement and made huge sacrifices for this temple construction. The people who shed their blood in this movement are now in power at the Centre. Now, it is the responsibility of the Government to see that this temple is constructed and that too peacefully. The souls of all those who lost their lives in the movement will curse us if this temple is not constructed," Raut said.
He asserted that the temple should be constructed with peace and co-operation of every community.
The arrival of a fresh load of stones from Bharatpur in Rajasthan earlier this week has once again swung the spotlight onto the temple controversy.
The party in its mouthpiece, Saamana, also termed the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya as a national work.
It said that 'those who have come to power with Lord Ram's blessings should end his exile and demanded that a date be declared for starting the temple construction'.
"Building Lord Ram's temple is a national work," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.
"We want a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. But our Lord Ram, like an outcast, has to live in a tent-like mandir. Those in power should be ashamed of this situation of Lord Ram's temple. Those who have come to power and are holding important posts with the blessings of Ram, should ensure that his exile period ends," the editorial reads further.
The Sena also said that the issue is consistently raked up prior to the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, and stones for the construction of the temple start arriving at the site.
The next UP Assembly polls will be held in 2017.
"We are seeing the charged up atmosphere (during polls) for last many years and are once again seeing it. Once again stones have reached Ayodhya and workers have started carving the stones. The question that now arises is what happened to the stones that have been carved in the last 20-25 years?" the party sought to know.
"Construction of a temple is necessary but it is not necessary to keep carving the stones for it. Declare a date for starting the construction and stick to it," the Sena added.
(With PTI Inputs)
