Ram Temple row comes off the backburner in Ayodhya

Ayodhya, Apr 22 (ANI): Construction of controversial Ram Temple is occupying centre stage in Ayodhya, which votes on Thursday.

Reviving the issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said it will construct the temple at its site in Ayodhya.

Hanuman Yadav, a caretaker of temple construction workshop, said he was confident that the temple would be built if the BJP got absolute majority.

"Temple would be constructed when our government comes in majority. The temple would be definitely constructed," he said.

After winning the general elections in 1999, the BJP was forced to abandon plans of constructing the temple by its coalition allies.

Devotees, who visit the site, say they will vote for any party that backed temple construction at the site.

"We will vote for the party that will construct the temple," said Kalpna Ben, a devotee from Jalgaon in Maharashtra.

Hashim Ansari, president of Babri Mosque Reconstruction Action Committee, said that the BJP's aim was just to politicise the issue, but not construct it.

"Advani's aim is not to construct a temple but to play politics," Ansari said.he demolition of the 16th century mosque on December 6, 1992, triggered off nationwide communal riots that took a heavy toll of human life.

The ramifications of that movement are still being felt. Senior BJP leader L K Advani is among those accused of inciting communal passions by making inflammatory statements.

After razing the Babri mosque, Hindu activists put up a makeshift temple at the site that they contend is the birthplace of Hindu god Ram. (ANI)