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Hindu activists gather in Delhi urging govt to build temple in Ayodhya

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NEW DELHI Thousands of Hindu monks and activists linked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party gathered in the Indian capital New Delhi yesterday to urge the government to build a temple at the ruins of a 16th-century mosque.

The calls for a new temple in the northern town of Ayodhya come ahead of an election that must be held by May next year, when Mr Modi will seek a second term.

Most analysts expect his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to fare far worse than it did in 2014, and critics often accuse the party of using communal issues to whip up support.

For the past three decades, the BJP and Hindu outfits associated with it have resurrected the Ayodhya controversy before elections, stoking tensions between Hindus and a Muslim minority that makes up 14 per cent of India's 1.3 billion people.

In 1992, a militant Hindu mob tore down the centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya, triggering riots that killed about 2,000 people across India.

Most Hindus believe the god Ram was born in Ayodhya, and Hindu groups insist there was a temple there before a mosque was built by a Muslim ruler in 1528.

Hindu monks want the government to introduce a legislation to pave the way for a temple, said Mr Sharad Sharma, spokesman for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or the World Hindu Council, a group that has close ties with the BJP.

"It is an issue of faith for millions of Hindus who cannot endlessly wait for a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram," he said.

Both Hindu and Muslim groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to help resolve the issue.

The top court has sought more time to give its verdict.- REUTERS

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