Sharad Sharma, a spokesman of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) the Hindu-centric organization, will be embarking on a campaign with the aim of building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The campaign will be preceded by Shri Ram Maha Utsav that will kick off on 8 April and continue till 19 April. During the Utsav, VHP plans to set 1.25 lakh idols – at a rate of one idol per village – of Lord Ram, who is revered highly in Hindu religion. Sharma has further stated that the festivities will be conducted in a manner reminiscent of Durga Puja, a festival organized with much pomp and fanfare in Bengal as well as by Bengalis living in other parts of the country and the world.
Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra
After the Shri Ram Maha Utsav comes to an end VHP will be starting the Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra. This will start from 22 April and will look to rally people with the long-held ambition of building a temple for Ram at the very place of his birth. It is expected that this will be a major issue for the incumbent Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav considering the fact that the state is supposed to go into assembly elections during 2017. Ambreesh Singh, the Regional Organizing Secretary of VHP, has stated that across the state the Right Wing organization will be creating models of Ram Temple. The march itself is expected to take place in the eastern part of UP and will cover almost 24 districts. He has also termed the said march to be a part of Hindu tradition and culture and will be organized on a grand scale.
Ram Maha Utsav – VHP’s plans
Sharma has stated that the Ram Maha Utsav, which will coincide with Ram Navami on 15 April, will see Lord Rama being worshipped in every village. He has further stated that the festival has been organized by the Hindu outfit for some time now and VHP has till date covered around 75,000 villages across the country. They are planning to install either a picture or an idol following worship.
Ayodhya Ram Temple issue – Subramanian Swamy’s opinions
At the present moment the aforementioned issue is sub-judice at the Supreme Court. However, Subramanian Swamy is confident that work on the temple might start before the year comes to an end. Interestingly enough, he has said that it is only the apex court’s verdict that will enable the said construction and not any movement as such. He expects that the Supreme Court will announce its verdict on the issue by September and feels that both Hindus and Muslims will provide their consent on the issue. He has also negated suggestions that the issue may have been brought up keeping in mind the upcoming assembly elections in UP. He said it is a matter of faith and every Hindu was committed to building the said temple. He is also confident that once they get a favourable verdict in this case they should be able to build Krishna temples at Kashi Vishwanath and Mathura as well.
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