The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Dussehra address formed a strong case for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, BJP president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are meeting RSS Sah-sarkaryavah Krishna Gopal and other senior Sangh functionaries here.
The meeting holds significance as Amit Shah is visiting despite being busy with elections in five states.
The senior most leaders of the party are tight-lipped over the likely deliberations, and describe it as a coordination meeting between the BJP and the RSS.
“From time to time, UP BJP keeps getting guidance from its national president. UP is a key state and electorally important,” said BJP spokesperson Dr Chandra Mohan, refusing to divulge further.
Sources say the meeting will likely take place at the official residence of the Chief Minister. Apart from the ones mentioned above, BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey and party’s Secretary Organisation Sunil Bansal will also be attending the closed-door discussions.
The possibility of the Ram temple featuring in discussion is a more than likely possibility as BJP prepares for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
On Tuesday, addressing a rally at Rajnandgaon in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said the Congress always “opposed” the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya because it believed in “dividing the country” and never wanted the issue to be resolved.
“People have their own emotions and sentiments on Ram janmabhoomi (birth place of Lord Ram in Ayodhya). I have always maintained that public sentiments on the issue should be respected. The fight for Ayodhya is not from today but the mammoth ‘Hindu Samaj’ has been fighting for the cause from around 450 years,” Adityanath said.
He said the site in Ayodhya where ‘Ram Lalla’ (Infant Ram) is present is the only birth place of Lord Ram and no one should have any doubt about it.
The question is will Shah and Yogi be briefing the RSS top command about the technicalities related to the highly sensitive and disputed issue, which is also sub-judice.
Leaders like Vinay Katiyar have already gone public raising doubts if what Mohan Bhagwat said about the Ram temple construction was with or without discussing it with the Prime Minister and party president Amit Shah.
Earlier, speaking to News18, Katiyar had said, “RSS pramukh should take up the matter with the Prime Minister and party president at the earliest”. Now just days after comes this crucial meeting.
Keeping in mind the secrecy over the meeting, the outcome of the meeting will only be visible in the strategy that the party adopts in the days to come.
