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A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sunday said the construction of a Hindu temple on the ruins of a mosque in Ayodhya would not be an issue in the Uttar Pradesh elections, as a temple already existed there.
"It is a fully functioning temple, not a bare foundation any more. There is nothing but a temple there," BJP's Uttar Pradesh chief Kalraj Mishra said here on the sidelines of a two-day national convention of the party.
He said all that the authorities had to do was to hand over the entire area to the temple authorities to build a grand temple at the site.
The construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya is an emotional issue for Hindu right-wing groups who contend that the 16th century Babri mosque was built at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
On December 6, 1992, a BJP-led march on Ayodhya ended in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and triggered the country's worst ever communal riots.
The construction of a temple is a key election issue with the BJP, which has not been able to press the matter since it is a part of a multi-party coalition in New Delhi, some of whose partners disagree with it over the temple-mosque row.
But Hindu groups linked to the BJP are gearing up to launch a massive campaign in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections, likely to be held in March.
Mishra said: "The Supreme Court has ordered a status quo at the disputed site. Since a temple is already functioning there, there cannot be anything else there."
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) however may not buy this contention as it has plans to construct an elaborate temple, a prototype for which has been kept ready. The VHP has also vowed to begin construction on the temple early next year.
Asked if the temple would feature in the BJP's election manifesto, Mishra said: "We have never included the construction of the temple in our election agenda, we have only said we would remove all barriers (for a temple construction)."
He pointed out that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said the issue would be resolved by March 12 and that talks were on with various groups.
Indo-Asian News Service
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