Asked about it, BJP president Amit Shah said, “I agree with the (RSS) statement.” Asked about it, BJP president Amit Shah said, “I agree with the (RSS) statement.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) Friday said there was no need to push the BJP to act on the Ram temple issue since it was already in the party’s election manifesto and the central government had time until 2019 to build the temple.

Asked about it, BJP president Amit Shah said, “I agree with the (RSS) statement.” He did not, however, elaborate on plans to build a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

“The central government has time until 2019. There is need to first do things related to the everyday life of people. The government has five years and it should decide on its priorities itself. People should give time to the government on this (Ram temple) issue,” RSS Sah Sarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosabale told mediapersons after the inauguration of a three-day meet of the all-India working committee of the RSS in Lucknow.

Incidentally, the identity cards issued to RSS volunteers at the meet had photographs of Lord Ram, temples and the Saryu river of Ayodhya.

Hosabale said RSS has promised support to dharmacharyas (seers) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in “their steps for the welfare of Hindu society and construction of Ram temple”.

On a question related to the discussion about ‘love jihad’, Hosabale said they had discussed it a lot in the past 10 years. “It is good that society and media are discussing ‘love jihad’ now. If any member will raise the issue during the three-day meet, we will discuss it.”

The RSS also expressed satisfaction over the Modi government’s stand against Pakistan on ceasefire violations along the border . “I have visited some villages of Jammu and Kashmir and people there are praising the government’s strong reply to Pakistan’s attacks,” Hosabale said.

The three-day RSS meet began with tributes to armymen and civilians killed in the firing by Pakistani troops and those who died in the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya and, more recently, in coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.

More than 350 office-bearers of different wings of the RSS attended the meet where the organisation’s chief Mohan Bhagwat sought a progress report of the last six months. He is expected to address them on Sunday.

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