Ayodhya: Ahead of the Dharam Sabha being held in Ayodhya on Sunday to push for the construction of a Ram temple, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said if required the Army should be deployed in the town. Thousands of people have started gathering in the town ahead of the Vishva Hindu Parishad event. Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray has also arrived here Saturday for a separate programme.
Talking to reporters Friday, Yadav had said, “The Supreme Court should take notice of the situation in Uttar Pradesh. It should seriously consider the matter and bring in the Army, if required… as the BJP and its allies can go to any extent,” Yadav told reporters.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya dismissed Yadav’s claims, saying his remarks simply showed his frustration as it was a Dharam Sabha and the Army was not needed for it.
When asked that a significant section of the Muslim community was feeling apprehensive about the event, he tried to allay the fears. “No one needs to fear (anything) as there is peace in Uttar Pradesh.
The government has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that no untoward incident takes place,” he said.
Referring to the firing on unarmed karsewaks in 1990, Maurya said, “If Akhilesh Yadav is thinking that a 1990-like situation will prevail, then this will not happen under the government headed by Yogi Adityanath. We will provide adequate security to all and take all necessary action.”
“This is a Dharam Sabha, and there is no need to deploy the Army, and Akhilesh Yadav must understand this,” the UP deputy Chief Minister said.
On the eve of the VHP’s Dharam Sabha, the temple town was virtually turned into a fortress will multiple layers of security and deployment of drones.
The Dharam Sabha is being touted as one of the largest congregations of Lord Ram devotees after December 6, 1992, when the Babri Masjid was demolished, but some Muslim leaders view it as a move to polarise the voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Rohit Pandey, 18, a tour guide, who speaks multiple Indian languages, and wears a prominent ’tilak’ on his forehead, comfortably pallies with Mohammad Azim, a 46-year-old auto-driver in the city, who bore the brunt of the 1992 tragedy.
“We affectionately call him ‘Mamu’ (uncle). He brings the tourists here and I then take them to Ramjanmabhoomi and other sightseeing places. Hindu and Muslims do not have problem here. I also want a Ram Mandir but the peaceful atmosphere should not be disturbed,” he says. (PTI)
