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Let Judicial Process Be Over, Says PM Modi On Ram Temple Ordinance

The BJP has been under pressure from allies to resolve the Ram temple issue as elections approach.
Since taking office, Modi has given a few interviews to some media outlets but has not held a single press conference.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Since taking office, Modi has given a few interviews to some media outlets but has not held a single press conference.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the government would wait for the judicial process to be over before considering an ordinance on the issue of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

The Ayodhya title dispute case is due to come up before the Supreme Court on January 4. The top court will constitute a 3-judge bench to hear 14 petitions against the Allahabad High Court judgement in the case.

In the exclusive interview to ANI, Modi said, “We have said in our BJP manifesto that a solution will be found to this issue under the ambit of the constitution.”

On whether the government would bring out an ordinance on Ram temple, he said, “Let the judicial process be over. After the judicial process is over, whatever will be our responsibility as the government, we are ready to make all efforts.”

In the interview, Modi also called the 2016 surgical strikes “a big risk” and revealed some details about the operation for the first time, including that the date of the attack was changed twice.

Since taking office, Modi has given a few interviews to some media outlets but has not held a single press conference.

The BJP has been under pressure from allies to resolve the Ram temple issue as elections approach. In its manifesto for the 2014 elections, the party had said: “The BJP reiterates its stand to explore all possibilities within the framework of the Constitution to facilitate the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.”

On Sunday, Union minister Uma Bharti said people would be “surprised” and “shocked” if no solution was found to the issue, despite having PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath at the helm at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh respectively.

In November, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the government should enact a law to acquire the land for the construction of the temple.

“The government needs the pressure of people to make laws. Even if I don’t want to construct the temple despite being in government, people’s pressure can propel me to do so,” he told a gathering of RSS and VHP workers.

BJP ally Shiv Sena has demanded the government issue an ordinance and name a date for the construction of the temple.

With the general elections due this year, the BJP is looking vulnerable for the first time since 2014 after it lost three heartland states—Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh—to the Congress during the recent assembly polls.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.