A bid to make Hindus mentally strong: Fadnavis on Ayodhya struggle

Mumbai, Dec 23: The campaign held over years for the construction of Lord Ram's temple in Ayodhya was aimed at helping Hindus rid their "defeatist mentality", senior Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said here on Tuesday.

Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly, made these remarks while speaking at a function to launch a book written by state BJP vice president Madhav Bhandari on the Ayodhya movement.

"Protests held over years for the construction of a temple to Lord Ram in Ayodhya were aimed at making Hindus shed their 'parabhut mansikta' (defeatist mentality)," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

Titled "Ayodhya", the book covers the early period (of history).

He said the book will serve as a key reference document summarising the protests held for the cause of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"The book brings together various references that are related to Ayodhya town in Uttar Pradesh. The invaders had destroyed the Ram temple there...and a defeatist mentality was thrust upon Hindus for years to come. The (temple) campaign was undertaken to counter this mentality and awaken the community," Fadnavis said.

Speaking about the motivation to write the book, Bhandari said, "Several misconceptions and lies were spread about this (temple) campaign, which needs to be countered. I tried to bring out the truth about the campaign in my book".

In November, 2019, the Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict backing the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

Later, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was set up for the construction of the temple, whose 'bhoomi pujan' was performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August this year, bringing to fruition the BJP's 'mandir' movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.