Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has stoked a controversy by saying that the Narendra Modi led government could take the legislation route to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya if the Supreme Court verdict does not go its way.
Speaking to News18, Maurya said that if the desired solution of Ram Mandir does not arrive through the court, then legislation would be the only way out. But for that to happen, the BJP would have to wait to get a majority in both houses of Parliament, he said.
“If we have enough numbers in Rajya Sabha then the central government could bring in legislation for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. However, we will wait for the Supreme Court’s judgment. But if that does not happen, then legislation is the only option left,” he told News18.
Maurya said he was giving the statement not just as UP’s deputy chief minister but also as a ‘Ram Bhakt’.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra is hearing the contentious Babri Masjid-Ram Temple land dispute case.
Senior clerics from both Sunni and Shia communities have accused the BJP of raking the Ram Mandir issue ahead of the 2019 elections.
Noted Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said people holding important posts should refrain from making such comments.
“The matter is in Supreme Court and everyone wants a peaceful way out through the court only. Lot of elections have been fought on the issue of Ram Mandir and every time when the elections are round the corner, this issue is always raised,” he said.
Iqbal Ansari, a litigant in the Babri Masjid case, said the deputy CM’s statement amounted to contempt of court.
"The matter is sub-judice and he is talking about bringing a legislation. Government should stop him from making such statements. The court should ban anybody who makes such statements, even if it is the deputy CM as the sentiments of both the communities will be hurt,” Ansari said.
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