By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Dec. 21:
The Shiv Sena has criticised VHP’s proposed drive to collect donations by contacting nearly 12 crore families across the country for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
Champat Rai, vice president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), recently announced that funds would be raised for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya for which nearly four lakh volunteers will approach about 12 crore families in the country. The drive will begin from ensuing “Makar Sankrant” and to raise funds, tickets of Rs. 10, 100 and 1000 have been printed by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust for voluntary donations.
Rai, who is also the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust, has said that the temple will be built three stories high and each floor will have a height of 20 feet. The length of the temple will be 360 feet and width 235 feet. The temple floor will be at a height 16.5 feet from the ground floor. The height of the shrine from the ground will be 161 feet.
However the Shiv Sena in its mouth piece Marathi daily “Saamna” has criticised the move saying this is a hidden agenda of BJP to reach people before ensuing Lok sabha elections in 2024. A separate bank account in the name of “Ramlalla” has been set up and the people across the globe are contributing. The Shiv Sena has already donated Rs one crore. By now nearly Rs 300 crore required for temple construction, might have been deposited in the account. Then why there is a need to collect donations from public ?, the Shiv Sena has asked.
The Ram Temple movement was not a political movement, but it was an out burst of the Hindu sentiments. The temple case pending in the Supreme Court was expedited by the bench headed by the then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Soon after the verdict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also performed the “Bhoomi Puja”. By 2024 the temple construction will be completed.
Under the circumstances, it will be an insult to thousands of those involved in the Temple movement, if volunteers approach them for the donations. Besides, the VHP has not made it clear, to which party the volunteers owe their allegiance, the Shiv Sena stated. However BJP (Maharashtra) spokesman Shivrai Kulkarni reacted sharply saying that the funds for the temple construction will be raised through the donations and not “ransom”. The ruling Shiv Sena has no alternative but to make such statements to please its partners-Congress and NCP, in running the Government of Maharashtra, Kulkarni added.
