Seers oppose proposal to erect Lord Ram's statue in Ayodhya
What's the story
A three-day 'Param Dharma Sansad' was held in Varanasi, where seers opposed the Uttar Pradesh government's proposal to install a 221-meter statue of Lord Ram on the bank of the Sarayu river in Ayodhya. Terming Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) 'Dharma Sabha' in Ayodhya as a politically motivated event, Dwarka-Sharda and Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati said Lord Ram should not be politicized.
Information
Government can only erect statues, not build temple: Saraswati
Not only that, Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati also said that ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could only erect statues, but not build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. He was addressing the gathering at the event held at Seer Govardhan, Varanasi from November 25 to 27.
Opinion
Seer said the statue proposal is also against people's faith
The Dwarka Peeth seer said the government erected a huge statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, but there was a need to build a temple for Lord Ram, not erect his statue as he was not a human being. Opposing the Yogi Adityanath government's proposal to install the statue, he said it was an inappropriate step, which was also against people's faith.
Claims
No mosque ever existed at Lord Ram's birthplace: Saraswati
Advocating the cause of a Ram temple, Saraswati claimed that no mosque ever existed at Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya and that the structure demolished by karsevaks in 1992 was a temple and not mosque. He said it was a propaganda that the Babri Masjid existed at the disputed Ram-janmabhoomi site, claiming he himself had seen that only a Ram temple existed in Ayodhya.
Temple issue
Government preparing law to encroach upon religious sites: Saraswati
Saraswati claimed that the Muslim community had failed to furnish any proof in the high court to confirm the existence of a mosque on the disputed site. The Dwarka Peeth seer said no political party would ever build the Ram temple but politicize the issue. He also claimed that the government was preparing to bring a law to encroach upon religious sites.