india

Updated: Oct 27, 2019 00:32 IST

The top leadership of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is expected to assemble in the national capital from November 12, its presence in the city dovetailing with the Supreme Court’s verdict on the decades-old Ram Janamabhoomi -Babri Masjid title dispute.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, and some joint general secretaries are expected to be in the city for discussions on the issue after the court’s judgment, which is expected before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17, a senior functionary of the Nagpur-based Sangh said.

“There is no plan yet on what will be the course of action even though the Sangh officials are hopeful of a favourable verdict. But the leadership will have to take a call based on the verdict,” said the functionary, who requested anonymity.

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court led by Gogoi wrapped up a 40-day hearing on the title suit on October 16 by reserving its verdict, preparing the way for a judicial settlement of the dispute centred on a 2.77-acre plot in the ancient city of Ayodhya.

Construction of a grand Ram Temple on the site, which Hindu groups believe is the birthplace of the warrior-god Ram, is high on the agenda of the Sangh, ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It has been emphatic in asserting the right of Hindus over the plot, where the 16th Century Babri mosque stood before it was demolished on December 6, 1992 by activists who claim it had been built during the reign of Mughal emperor Babur on the ruins of a Ram temple.

RSS also pushed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government to pass an ordinance for the temple’s construction.

“For a long time the Sangh and its affiliates, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, have demanded that the government should take the legislative route for the construction of the temple, since the issue has been hanging fire for decades in the courts,” the functionary said, adding that the Sangh had decided to wait for the top court’s verdict now that the hearings in the case have been completed.

On statements being made by some BJP and VHP leaders like the former’s Sakshi Maharaj, who have gone to record to say that construction on a temple will start on December 6 on the Ayodhya plot, the Sangh functionary said the RSS did not want to second-guess the court’s verdict. He said the RSS cadre had been instructed not to make public statements that can stoke conflict between communities and cause unrest.

“Our leadership has maintained that we will wait for the court’s verdict and are only hopeful of a positive outcome,” the functionary added.

Last week in Odisha, during a meeting of the RSS’s Karyakarni Mandal, or executive council, joint general secretary Manmohan Vaidya told reporters that the Ayodhya issue was a matter of faith and even the RSS was eagerly waiting for a solution.

“This is not a political issue; the Ram Mandir issue is not a political issue and this has to do with the faith of Hindu society… As far as Supreme Court proceedings are concerned, the judgment will come out soon and we hope that a final conclusion is reached,” he said.

At the same meeting, Joshi said the RSS had been seeking removal of hurdles to the Ram temple’s construction for a long time and was hopeful now given that the dispute over ownership of the land was about to be decided. “There should have been no need to go to the court. We will be glad if this happens,” he said.

In the run-up to the verdict and on the occasion of Diwali, a deep ustav (festival of lights) was being organised in Ayodhya on Saturday for which members of various affiliates of the Sangh arrived in the city. The event was to be marked by the lighting of 550,000 earthen lamps in Ayodhya.