The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) now plans to put the youth at the forefront of the temple movement in order to rekindle the “fire and spirit” of the Ayodhya movement.
A VHP conclave, being held in Jabalpur later this month, will finalise the strategy for this. The recent statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the Ram temple seems to have encouraged the VHP to work afresh on the temple strategy. Talking to this newspaper, a senior VHP functionary said, “There is an urgent need to involve the youth in the temple movement since those who were a part of this in the nineties are no longer active. We will reach out to the youth through programmes and seminars in schools and colleges and motivate them to build up the temple campaign.”
The leadership in the VHP lacks young blood and after the demise of VHP leader Ashok Singhal, the outfit realises the need for preparing a second-rung leadership at the earliest.
The VHP plans to show audio and video footage of the temple movement, including the Babri demolition, to the youth in order to familiarise them with the sequence of events.
“The idea is to inform the new generation about the Ayodhya movement and the issues that have emerged from it. This is not a question of inciting the youth but to motivate them to continue the battle forward,” the functionary said.
The Ram temple issue is also scheduled to be discussed at the annual Magh Mela in Allahabad in January-February and then in Ujjain in April.
“Between December this year and April next year, we hope to work out a final strategy for temple construction. We have already asked the Modi government to form a special Supreme Court bench for the Ayodhya cases so that the verdict can be speeded up,” the VHP leader said.
The work of stone carving for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya is almost 70 per cent complete in the sprawling Karsevakpuram in the holy city. “More than 1.75 lakh square metres of stone have been carved, which means that stones for the sanctum sanctorum of the proposed temple and the upper floor are ready. Work is on for the remaining carving and polishing of stones,” said a VHP leader in Ayodhya.
Interestingly, the VHP leaders do not wish to involve the BJP into the revival of the temple movement this time.
“The BJP is running the government and they will help us only when the need arises. The second phase of the temple movement which will be for the construction of the temple, will be run solely by the VHP and other affiliated outfits,” the leader added.