Amit Shah reiterates commitment to Ram temple; blames Congress for delay

The BJP wants the Ram temple in Ayodhya to be constructed at the earliest, its president Amit Shah asserted at the party's national convention on Friday and accused the Congress of putting "hurdles" in the resolution of the issue. Shah's reiteration of the party's stand on the issue in his inaugural address drew the most enthusiastic response from thousands of its members at Ramlila Maidan, underscoring its resonance with the saffron party's rank and file.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party wants the Ram temple constructed at the earliest at the same site. Let there be no doubt," Shah said. He asserted that the party is making all efforts to ensure that the matter is resolved in the Supreme Court as soon as possible. The court is adjudicating on the Ram temple title case and has fixed January 29 as the next date of hearing. Accusing the Congress of creating hurdles in early resolution of the matter in the court, Shah asked the opposition party to make its stand clear on the matter.

In presence of top party leaders at the convention including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah said the BJP wants the issue to be resolved constitutionally. Hindutva organisations, including the RSS, have repeatedly expressed their frustration at the "delay" in the case and have demanded that the Modi government bring a law to pave the way for the temple's construction at the site in Ayodhya, considered to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.

(With inputs from agencies.)