In a bid to put pressure on the Modi Government, the Dharm Sansad held in Prayagraj for over three days has decided to begin Ram Mandir march from Prayagraj to Ayodhya to lay foundation stone of the proposed Ram temple on February 21. The massive congregation of sadhus that was called by top seer of Dwarka Peeth Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati to discuss the Ram Mandir issue announced on Wednesday that the foundation stone of Ram Mandir will be laid on February 21 and the movement of Ram Mandir will not stop now.

Addressing sadhus, Swaroopanand said that 500 seers along with him would be marching to Ayodhya on February 21, and “will lay the foundation stone” of a grand Ram temple. Swaroopanand, who is considered among the four topmost seers of the nation, said the time has come for the final push to achieve the goal of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. “Even if I have to face the bullet, I will go to Ayodhya and lay the foundation stone,” he said while addressing the second day of the Dharma Sansad.

Swaroopanand exhorted that every Hindu should bring four bricks for Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on February 21. The Dharma Sansand also passed a resolution condemning the Modi Government and the BJP for delaying the construction of the temple. 

At the meeting, sadhus hit out at the Modi Government and its ideological mentor RSS for hijacking the Ram Mandir issue. The development comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to Kumbh. The announcement comes at a time when the clamour for early construction of Ram Mandir has reached a crescendo before 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Narendra Modi Government is facing heat for not having fulfilled its promise of constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Swaroopanand said the sants and those mobilised for the effort would not be deterred by arrests or any other kind of obstacles. “Hindus across the country should step forward if front-runners are stopped,” Swaroopanand said.

The confluence also issued a challenge to the monopoly of the RSS, when its leaders declared from stage that not Sangh but Swaroopanand was the spiritual leader of Hindus across country. The RSS and the VHP, in coordination with Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas or Trust, have been spearheading the Ayodhya Mandir campaign for the last three decade. 

The decision came a day after the Government approached the Supreme Court for permission to restore the “excess” land surrounding the disputed portion in Ayodhya to Ram Janambhoomi Nyas. The Government sought direction for releasing to the Nyas 67 acres, which it had acquired about two-and-a-half decades back, leaving untouched 0.313 acres of disputed land.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar later said the Government “wants to give the land back to Nyas to build Ram temple there”. Meanwhile, the hearing in the Ayodhya title dispute case was scheduled for Tuesday but had to be deferred due to non-availability of Justice SA Bobde, who is one of the five judges of the Constitution Bench.

He said the Government expects the sanction to be given immediately as there has “too much delay” on the 70-year-old issue.

Sants also added that they will carry four stones and go to Ayodhya to lay the foundation of the temple and start its construction. “We respect courts and the Prime Minister of the country. But we will take four stones to Ayodhya. These stones can be carried by four people which will not violate Section 144. Constructing a temple takes time but if it does not start, then it will never happen. Ram Lala is already present there,” said the sants.

Recently, the Prime Minister had said that any decision on an Ordinance on the Ram temple can be considered only after the judicial process gets over.

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the status quo with regard to the acquired 67 acres of land around the disputed site. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77 acres land be partitioned equally among three parties --- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara, and Ram Lalla.