Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said a “Ram Temple in Ayodhya would bring happiness to all” amidst a growing demand for bringing an ordinance or an executive order for the purpose. (HT Photo)

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said a “Ram Temple in Ayodhya would bring happiness to all” amidst a growing demand for bringing an ordinance or an executive order for the purpose.

“The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would bring happiness for all,” he told journalists in Mathura where he was the chief guest at a private university’s convocation.

Singh’s statement coincided with a rally of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Delhi that pressed for the construction of the temple in place of the demolished Babri Mosque.

Tens of thousands of people gathered for the rally days before Parliament’s winter session commences on December 15. The VHP had last month organised a two-day show of strength in Ayodhya as part of its campaign to build the temple.

The calls for the ordinance grew after the Supreme Court declined an early hearing into the Ayodhya land title dispute last month. Hindu groups have been asking the government to settle the dispute before the national elections due next year in the temple’s favour without waiting for the court’s verdict.

Singh refused to accept the results of the elections in five states, which would be announced on Tuesday, as a semi-final before the national elections.

“There is no use predicting results for elections held in five states [Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram] because the results will be out on Tuesday. We are hopeful of good results and believe they would be in our favour.”

In Lucknow, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) or PSP-L chief Shivpal Yadav opposed the temple construction at the disputed site. “It may be built on the other side of the Saryu river in Ayodhya. The Supreme Court order must be respected,” he said while addressing a gathering of his newly-formed party.

He claimed his brother and former chief minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, had saved the Babri mosque in 1990.

“But now, this [Uttar Pradesh chief minister-led Yogi Adityanath] government allowed large crowds to gather in Ayodhya despite prohibitory orders. This warranted imposition of the President’s rule in the state,” said Shivpal Yadav, who quit Samajwadi Party (SP) this year after a protracted feud with and his nephew and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been attending functions of both the SP as well PSP-L, attended the rally. He asked the gathering to strengthen the SP thrice. He corrected himself twice on Shivpal Yadav’s insistence and hooting from the crowd. He even got angry once. “Those who do not want to listen to me may leave. Samajwadi Party symbolises humanity, it takes all along. Strengthen it.” He later said strengthen the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party. “Shivpal is my brother, my blessings are with him. Strengthen him,” he said two days after sharing the stage with Akhilesh Yadav in Firozabad.

Before winding up his speech, Mulayam again said: “Make all Samajwadi Party candidates win”.

On the day Shivpal Yadav floated his new outfit, Mulayam Singh Yadav had visited the PSP-L office and hours later dropped in at the SP headquarters to meet Akhilesh.

(With agency inputs)