Ayodhya: Ram Temple can be built in '3 months'

Work is in full swing at VHP's workshop at Ramsevakpuram here, where red stones are being carved for the construction of Ram Temple.

The workshop, not very far from the disputed site, will see several truckloads of stones arriving from Rajasthan in the next few days. This, notwithstanding the deferment of Ayodhya hearing by the Supreme Court and amid a clarion call by a section of saint community for making a law.

A senior BJP official told DH in New Delhi that if the government came out with an ordinance to build the temple in Ayodhya, it could be constructed in a matter of three months. "Pillars, lintels and floor tiles have been made at Karsevakpuram,” the official said, requesting anonymity. "Everything is ready."

Rajnikant Sompura — the chief artisan at the VHP workshop at Ramsevakpuram, is well aware of the heat being generated by the issue. He said the stones have been carved in such a way that they just have to be placed upon one another after being transported to the site.

Sources said over one lakh cubic feet of red stones have already been carved at the workshop. "About 70,000 cubic feet of stones are still to be carved. We expect the stones to reach very soon," said an employee at the workshop.

A senior VHP leader said more artisans could be hired if work was to be expedited. He said there was no hurdle in bringing red stones from Rajasthan.

"Trucks with stones have been arriving in Ayodhya since 1990. Stone-carving has also been going on for several years," said VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma.

The then Samajwadi Party government had imposed a ban on bringing stones after Muslim outfits reacted sharply in 2015. Things, however, changed after the installation of Yogi Adityanath government in 2017.

VHP leaders said they would take a decision on expediting the work after the proposed 'dharm sabhas' (religious meetings) in Ayodhya, Bengaluru and Nagpur on November 25. "We expect the saints to set a deadline for the government for temple construction. We will abide by the direction of the seers," said a VHP leader.

Muslim outfits expressed serious concern about red stones reaching Ayodhya and asked the state government to stop them. "The Supreme Court has ordered to maintain status quo at the disputed site. The VHP is trying to foment tension by bringing the stones here," said Iqbal Ansari, one of the main plaintiffs in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Title Suits.

In Delhi, a BJP official said that if the government came out with an ordinance to build the temple, even the principal Opposition Congress would find it difficult to oppose it in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP does not have a majority.

The BJP clearly feels the message — that it is serious about building the temple — will reach the electorate by the act of bringing the ordinance, irrespective of whether or not it manages to go through parliamentary process or legal scrutiny.