Senior BJP leader and former Union minister
Subramanian Swamy is confident of a positive verdict from the Supreme Court on
the Ram Janmabhoomi case and is hopeful that the construction of Ram Mandir
would begin in Ayodhya by year-end.
In a conversation with Firstpost after his
address at Deendayal Research Institute at Jhandewalan on Saturday evening, the
maverick politician and one of the most vocal proponents of Hindu nationalism,
Swamy shared how he plans to go about the issue and why it is important for the
country. Excerpts:
How do you see the Ram Mandir becoming a reality? We’ll wait for the Supreme
Court’s verdict. I’m confident that the apex court will give a favourable
judgment. And if it happens, by the end of the year, construction of a Ram
Temple will begin with mutual consent. I’ve filed a writ petition seeking
day-to-day hearing of petitions in the Supreme Court. Our case is very strong
and even the Allahabad High Court had supported our stand based on the evidence
presented by us. The historical, archeological and epigraphy-based evidences
have shown that there existed a temple beneath the Babri mosque.
According to Hindu scripture and the present law,
a Praan-Pratisthit Vigraha (deity) is a living entity and a deity (Ramlala) can
hold the property, so all the property vests with the presiding deity and Ram
is the owner. Nobody can have adverse possession over it. The Muslim Scriptures
and Law lay down that no Wakf can be created on another's property. The Sunni
Waqf Board was in adverse possession of this property. The emperor Babar owned
no land on this soil.
Do you think the Muslim leaders will
agree to it? The Muslim leaders have said that they would accept the
Supreme Court’s verdict. I don’t want to do it forcibly. I had discussions with
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Syed Shahabuddin and other Muslim leaders. They
also want day-to-day hearing. Earlier, I had taken up the issue for negotiation
with Shahabuddin who was heading the other side. But the government fell, and
so I could not complete the process.
During Narsimha Rao’s government in 1994, the
Supreme Court had asked the government to take a stand on Ram Janmabhoomi
issue. The government gave an affidavit in the court, which stated that if a
pre-existing temple was found beneath the mosque, the Hindus would keep this
land for temple construction. And, across Saryu river Muslims would built a
mosque. No mosque will be allowed to be built in Ram Janmabhoomi.
Is it practically possible to
shift/construct mosque across the Saryu river? Even in Islamic
countries like in Saudi Arabia, an important heritage mosque was demolished to
give way for the construction of a project. An alternative plot was given and
it was built at some other site. According to Islam, a mosque is a facilitating
centre for offering Namaz, where people gather and read. It’s a kind of prayer
hall, unlike the way a temple is. If Muslims agree to it, Hindus will join in
the construction of the mosque.
Considering the present turmoil in the
country, don’t you think construction of Ram Mandir and shifting of mosque
would escalate it? As I’ve mentioned, all Muslim leaders have said
that they would accept Supreme Court’s verdict on this issue. As far as
extremist elements are concerned, they can be dealt with.
Is the issue only restricted to the Ram
Mandir, or does it extend beyond it? During the 800 years of Muslim
rule, some 40,000-odd temples were demolished in the country. We’ve asked for
three – Sri Ram temple in Ayodhya, Krishna temple in Mathura and Kashi
Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. If Muslims agree to give us these three temples,
they can keep the rest 39,997 mosques.
As per news reports, the arrival of stones to
Ayodhya from other states has triggered panic among the locals. Is there any
tension brewing there? No, there’s no tension and it (arrival of stones) has
been taking place for quite some time. People know well that without the
Supreme Court’s ruling, construction won’t begin.
Finally, do you think people are still
interested in the construction of Ram Mandir? There is a public demand
for building the Ram Temple. This is not the only project that I’ve been
pursuing. Earlier I’ve taken up several projects, including religious ones. On
the issue of Ram Temple, people are very much concerned. They came and told me
to pursue it in the manner I did on Ram Setu, which was a big success. The Ram temple
will become a reality.
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