‘With no majority in RS, can’t pass law for Ram temple’

Ayodhya: A dearth of majority in the Upper House of Parliament was coming in the way of BJP to bring in a motion and make law for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Union Home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said.
Construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya was among the promises made by BJP in its election manifesto which it had released in the run up to last year’s General elections. Some other contentious issues like abrogation of Article 370 which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir and enactment of Uniform Civil Code were also promised in the party’s manifesto.
“BJP does not have a majority in Rajya Sabha, so this time it is not possible to bring motion in the Parliament to make law for the construction of Ram temple,” the senior BJP leader said.
He was here to take part in a programme of senior Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Nritya Gopal Das. When asked if BJP will bring the motion for a Ram temple if it gets a majority in Rajya Sabha in the days to come, Singh said,”It is an imaginary question.”
The ruling party has 45 members in the Upper House and it is unlikely that it will have the numbers during its current tenure. In the House of 243 members, Opposition has at least 132 MPs. Reacting to a question on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Singh said he will speak “some thing on Dawood in a day or two.”
The government was left red-faced for its contradictory reply in Parliament on the whereabouts of Dawood Ibrahim. Later, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the underworld don lives in Pakistan and the Centre would continue to pursue the case very seriously. (PTI)