RSS, VHP leaders discuss Ayodhya temple trust issue in Nagpur

NAGPUR: Top leaders of the RSS and its affiliate VHP on Monday held a meeting where they are believed to have finalised names of individuals whom they want to be inducted as members on the trust to be set up by the Centre to oversee construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. File photo

Nagpur, November 18

Top leaders of the RSS and its affiliate VHP on Monday held a meeting where they are believed to have finalised names of individuals whom they want to be inducted as members on the trust to be set up by the Centre to oversee construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and his deputy Bhaiyyaji Joshi took part in the meeting with central office-bearers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at the RSS headquarters here on Monday evening, RSS sources said.

They said the agenda of the meeting was discussion on the Ayodhya temple trust formation in the wake of the November 9 Supreme Court verdict in the decades-old Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court had cleared the way for the construction of the temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

“The names of the members for the trust were finalised in the meeting and the same would be conveyed to the government, the sources said without revealing their identity.

VHPs International President Vishnu Kokje, its International Working President Alok Kumar and General Secretary Milind Parande, among others, were present in the meeting, they said.

RSS and VHP functionaries also discussed their plan of action in case a review petition is filed against the Supreme Court judgment in the Ayodhya matter, the sources said.

A review petition will be filed against the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind announced on Sunday.

The Supreme Court, in its historic verdict, had said the entire 2.77 acres of disputed land should be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who was one of the three litigants.

It had also said the mosque should be constructed at a “prominent site” in Ayodhya and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reportedly initiated the process, as per the Supreme Court guidelines, to set up the trust that will monitor the proposed temple’s construction. — PTI