Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute and called for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“This should not be seen as victory or loss. We should forget the past and work together to construct the temple,” he said shortly in an address from the RSS office in Delhi after the top court’s verdict.
Bhagwat described the court’s verdict as “the right conclusion”.
“This case was going on for decades and it has reached the right conclusion…. We also welcome everyone’s efforts to maintain peace and harmony in society,” he said.
The Supreme Court on Saturday held that a temple would be built at the 2.77-acre piece of land in Ayodhya and ordered the government to give Muslims a 5-acre plot in a prominent place to build a mosque because they had been wronged twice – in 1949 and in 1992.
Bhagwat said the verdict has fulfilled the wish of Hindus for a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
“Earlier attempts to mediate were not successful, attempts were made, but they didn’t work out for whatever reasons. But better late than never. Whatever the court has said will be examined. The land has to be given by the government. We want the acrimony to end. Our wish has been fulfilled,” he said.
The construction of a temple at Ayodhya, where the Babri Mosque stood till its demolition in 1992, has been a long-standing demand of the RSS and its affiliates.
The five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on October 16 after a marathon 40-day hearing. The court order came days before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.
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