LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has accepted the request of 11-member delegation of saints led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad International chief to convince the Muslim leaders, clerics and ulemas to pave way for the construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site of Ayodhya, claimed VHP-led delegation of seers and saints here on Saturday.

With Lok Sabha election less then 9 months away, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad it seems is making yet another bid to rake up Ram Temple issue and has decided to press for the demand to introduce a bill making way for Ram temple at Ayodhya.

The delegation also sought support from Mulayam Singh Yadav for introduction of a bill for the Ram temple construction in Parliament, former BJP MP and part of VHP-led delegation Swami Chinmayanand said.

The former chief minister accepted the offer to talk to Muslim leaders when the 11-member delegation led by VHP international chief Ashok Singhal met SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav at CM's official residence at 5 Kalidas Marg here on Saturday morning. The other members of delegation included former BJP Chinmayanand, Rameshwar Prasad Vaishnav of Haridwar, Akhileshwar Das of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nain, Ram Vilas Vedanti, Suresh Das, Kanhaiyyalal Das and Dharmendra Das, all from Ayodhya, Hariomji from Rajasthan and Karunanidhan.

The meeting with father and son lasted for two hours, claimed Chinmayanand.

The SP chief was candid in his admission that the dispute had got dragged longer than expected in the court of the law and was of the view that the matter could only be resolved through talks, Chinmayanand told mediapersons at Vishwa Sanwad Kendra in Jiamau area of the state capital.

It was then that the delegation of saints requested Mulayam to act as a bridge between Muslims and Hindus as he has acceptability among Muslim leaders, clerics and ulemas more than any other politician in the country, Chinmayanand said and claimed that the offer was accepted by the SP chief. "Mulayam has assured the delegation to raise the issue before Muslim leaders," Chinmayanand said.

Otherwise also, the VHP-led seers and saints have decided to launch 84 Kosi parikrama from August 25 until September 13 in a bid to spread awareness among the commonman about poltiicians across party lines' statement before the judgement on the dispute was declared on September 30, 2011 that they would cooperate in construction of temple at Ayodhya if the court decides that Babri Masjid came up on a demolished structure and not on a barren land. Since the court had given the verdict that Babri Masjid came up on demolished structure, the politicians should fulfill their promises, Chinmayanand said.

Adding to it, the solicitor general of Government of India through an affidavit on September 14, 1994 had given similar assurance as Central government's take on the disputed structure, Chinmayanand further said. Its high time that Union government should draft a bill making way for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Chinmayanad said.

"We have decided to give time to the Central government to come up with a bill until October 18 and if the government fails to do so, the sant samaj would launch a Sankalp movement at 1 lakh places througout the country," Chinmayanand said and added that on the day, around 1 lakh people would gather at Ayodhya and take the pledge for the Ram temple construction.

On BJP's support, Chinmayanand said that national BJP chief Rajnath Singh was apprised about the Dharmsansad resolution during Kumbh and support for introduction of bill was sought. Rajnath Singh had expressed alliance compulsion and had assured the saints that he would apprise the alliance partners of seer and saints sentiments in this regard.

On expectation with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi , Chinmayanand said: "Let him first hold the post of expectation and once he does that I don't think we would be left with much of expectation."

Later talking to mediapersons, VHP international chief Ashok Singhal said that even Modi was in favour of construction of Ram Temple like any other top BJP leader.

