Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced the setting up of a trust called Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirtha Kshetra to oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The PM’s announcement comes four days before the three -month deadline fixed by the Supreme Court to set-up the trust.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said, “We have readied a scheme for the development of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. An autonomous trust has been formed, it is called Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirath Kshetra.”
The entire 67.703 acres of the land will be handed over to the newly formed trust to develop for the benefit of devotees and will be empowered to make all decisions related to building a grand temple at Lord Ram’s birthplace and related matters.
Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirtha Kshetra, as the Trust is called, will function as an independent body and will have 15 trustees of which 1 will always be from the Dalit community, said Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources say no political party is part of the temple trust.
The Home Minister’s statement comes a little over an hour after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Lok Sabha about the constitution of the trust.
Congratulating PM Modi for the decision that strengthens social harmony, Shah Tweeted: “There will be 15 trustees in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust out of which one trustee will always be from the Dalit community.”
श्री राम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र ट्रस्ट में 15 ट्रस्टी होंगे जिसमें से एक ट्रस्टी हमेशा दलित समाज से रहेगा। सामाजिक सौहार्द को मजबूत करने वाले ऐसे अभूतपूर्व निर्णय के लिए मैं प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी को अनेक अनेक बधाई देता हूँ।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 5, 2020
As confirmed by Supreme Court lawyer Subhendhu Anand, who was one of the members of the team that represented Ram Lalla Virajman, the trust has been registered and the possession has been handed over to Shri K. Parasaran, Sr. Advocate, who will be a Trustee in the newly constituted Trust.
As per reports, the trust has listed advocate Parasaran’s address in Delhi as its address.
It is being reported that the heads of the four peethas established by Adi Shankaracharya will be included as the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Tirtha Kshetra members.
Apart from the four Shankaracharyas, as per a report in Bhaskar.com, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das from Ayodhya, Mahant Suresh Das of Digambar Ani Akhara, Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara, a Representative from Gorakshpeeth Gorakhpur, a Representative of Udupi Pejawar Math of Karnataka, Om Prakash Singhal from VHP, VHP Vice President Champatarai, late Ashok Singhal’s nephew Salil, Punit Dalmia from the family of the late Vishnuhari Dalmiya, a Dalit representative and a woman representative will also find place amongst the Trustees.
Moreover, the Joint Secretary level officer as the representative of the central government, the DM of Ayodhya as the representative of the state government will also reportedly be also be included in the trust.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said that the trust will also be an independent body, capable of making all decisions regarding the construction of the temple.
“Thank you to Modiji for setting up an autonomous trust to build a grand temple at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram. The ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra’ trust will be completely independent and capable of making all decisions related to temple construction. Jai Shree Ram!” Yogi Adityanath tweeted thanking the Narendra Modi government for taking a step closer to building the temple.
मा. PM श्री @narendramodi जी को प्रभु श्री राम के जन्मस्थान पर एक भव्य मंदिर बनाने के लिए एक स्वायत्त ट्रस्ट का गठन करने के लिये कोटिशः धन्यवाद।
‘श्रीराम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र’ ट्रस्ट पूरी तरह स्वतंत्र एवं मंदिर निर्माण से संबंधित सभी निर्णय लेने में सक्षम होगा।
जय श्री राम!
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) February 5, 2020
“Today is a historic day. The first stone for the construction of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple was laid by Shri Kameshwar Chaupal Ji of Dalit society. Among the 15 members of the ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra’ Trust, one will always be from Dalit society,” Tweeted Yogi Adityanath thanking the Prime Minister for this decision.
आज का दिन ऐतिहासिक है।
श्री राम जन्मभूमि मंदिर निर्माण की पहली शिला दलित समाज के श्री कामेश्वर चौपाल जी ने रखी थी।
‘श्रीराम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र’ ट्रस्ट के 15 सदस्यों में भी एक सदैव दलित समाज से होगा।
इस निर्णय के लिए आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी का आभार।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) February 5, 2020
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government had agreed to give five-acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board as directed by the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. UP government spokesperson Shrikant Sharma said the land is in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya on the Lucknow highway, about 18 kilometres from the district headquarters, almost 25 km away from the Ramjanambhoomi complex. The wish of saints to keep the mosque outside the 14-Kosi area of Ayodhya seems to have been met by the Yogi government.
As per reports, the UP government has already issued the allotment letter of the 5-acre land to the Sunni Waqf Board.
In a historic judgment on November 9, the Supreme Court had established that the Hindus have a right on the entire 67-acre Ram Janmabhoomi and ordered the construction of a Ram temple by a government trust at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya. It had also granted an alternate 5-acre land to the Muslims to build their Masjid in the Hindu holy town.
As per the November 9 Supreme Court judgment, the central government had been directed to formulate a scheme with necessary provisions for the setting up of trust with a board of trustees to supervise the building of the Ram Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site.
The Prime Minister is expected to lay the foundation stone of both the Ram Temple and Ram Statue projects in Ayodhya on Ram Navami on April 2, 2020, and the construction is expected to start soon after.
Earlier, The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had urged the Central Government to adopt the model suggested by the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas for the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya, as this would speed up its construction.
