India
Article 370 scrapping anniversary, August 5, ‘historic day’ for foundation of Ram Temple: BJP leader
Srinagar: BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya termed August 5 as a ‘historic day’ by stating that on this day foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, will be laid and it also marks the first anniversary of the scrapping of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Vijayvargiya tweeted in Hindi, “Historical date! 5 August 2019 – Section 370, 35A abolished, August 5, 2020 – Prabhu Shri Ram Temple Bhoomi Pujan.”
The Ayodhya land dispute is one of India’s longest running dispute which continued for decades.
On 6 December 1992, a large group of Hindu extremists belonging to the Vishva Hindu Parishad and allied organisations demolished the Babri mosque, triggering violent clashes all over the Indian subcontinent, killing around 2,000 people. Hindu extremist groups claim that the site belongs to them, and is the birth place of Hindu God Ram.
Last year in November, the Supreme Court of India had directed the Central government to hand over the disputed site at Ayodhya for the construction of a temple and set up a trust for the same.
The apex court had further directed the government to give a ‘suitable land measuring five acres’ to the Sunni Waqf Board at a different location.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, president, Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said on Sunday.
Quoting sources, a report by news agency ANI, said that while the temple construction ceremony was supposed to be celebrated with many Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and other important dignitaries in attendance, the list of attendees after COVID spread is likely to have only Prime Minister Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and a few Ministers and MPs from the region.
August 5 marks the anniversary of the removal of Article 370 by Government of India.
The Parliament of India had in August last year adopted a resolution to abrogate Article 370, and passed a Bill to bifurcate the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, controlled directly by the Government of India.
Article 370 granted Jammu and Kashmir autonomy, and its scrapping was done as all Kashmiri political representatives were kept under detention, communication in Kashmir was blacked out, and thousands were imprisoned.
The removal of Article 370 has made concrete the fears of demographic change in the Muslim majority region of Kashmir, as laws regarding land ownership and citizenship have been changed by the Government of India controlled administration.
Lately, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir would be restored as soon as the situation warrants, and asked the representatives to not believe any rumours.
On July 3, BJP’s General Secretary Ram Madhav said that party’s J&K unit is of the opinion that statehood should be given back to the erstwhile state when the time is favourable.
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