Ram temple dominates RSS meet

Sangh to back 'dharm sabhas'

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was harping on development at a public meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency here on Monday, barely a few kilometres away RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was holding discussions on the vexed Ram temple issue.

Bhagwat was here to attend a five-day meet of the RSS in which around 250 senior Sangh activists from across the country were participating. At the meet, he also deliberated on the proposed 'dharm sabhas' (religious meets) at Ayodhya, Bengaluru and Nagpur later this month to put pressure on the NDA government to take the legislative route for Ram temple construction.

According to sources, RSS workers have been instructed to extend full support to make the 'dharm sabhas' a success. ''The swayamsevaks (RSS workers) have been making appeals to the people to attend the dharm sabhas in large numbers,'' said a local BJP leader, who was privy to the deliberations at the RSS meet.

He also said that the Sangh workers had also been asked to ''galvanise public opinion'' on Ram temple issue.

Bhagwat, a few days back, had demanded that Parliament enact a law paving the way for Ram temple construction.

Feedback sought

Sources said that the RSS chief had sought feedback from the Sangh workers from different parts of the country to formulate its strategy for the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Contrary to speculation, there was no meeting between Modi and Bhagwat though it was for the first time both leaders were here on the same day attending different meetings barely a few kilometres apart.