Much significance is being attached to Yogi Adityanth’s visit as the chief minister not only performed puja but also promised that his government would work on the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya through mutual agreement with various factions involved in the case for the title. Yogi also attended the birthday celebrations of mahant Nritya Gopal Das who is closely associated with the Ram Temple movement.

During the daylong visit of Yogi Adityanath to Ayodhya the manner in which people turned out in large numbers, chanting slogans of jai Sri Ram and demanding construction of the temple clearly indicated that the saffron brigade would keep the issue alive for the Lok Sabha polls. Yogi said that the Ram temple issue should be resolved through dialogue.

Yogi who is the first chief minister since 2002 to visit Ayodhya also announced several development plans worth Rs 300 crores for the holy city.

Throughout the day in Ayodhya people were raising pro-temple slogans, which reminded one of the days of the Ram Janambhumi-Babri Masjid movement when thousands of kar sewaks tried to break the gate of the mosque and the Mulayam Singh Yadav government opened fire in 1990 and then again on December 6 1992 when the mosque was demolished in the presence of Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and other senior leaders of the saffron brigade.

The timing of Yogi Adityanth’s visit to Ayodhya is also very important as on the previous day veteran BJP leaders LK Advani, Dr M M Joshi, Uma Bharti and others reached Lucknow and presented themselves before the special CBI court, which ordered framing of charges against them in the demolition of Babri mosque 25 years ago on December 6, 1992.

The Chief Minister went out of his way to receive Advani and others at the guest house and remained with them till they left for the court. He had sent senior ministers not only to the airport to receive them but also to court.

The manner in which LK Advani and others were greeted at the airport and at the guest house and outside the court with people in large numbers shouting slogans supporting the demand for the construction of the Ram Temple showed a sense of urgency. So much so senior BJP leader Kunwar Iqbal Haider put up huge hoardings in the city demanding construction of the temple on behalf of the Muslim community.

Political analysts feel that Yogi Adityanath will initiate a dialogue with different factions involved in the title suit of Ram Janambhumi to give the impression that his government was serious about the construction of the temple at Ayodhya.

It is believed that Aditynath’s aggressive posturing in favour of the temple is to drive home the party’s endorsement of the advantage it received through the polarization on communal lines and other factors that helped BJP win an unprecedented 325 seats for BJP in the UP assembly. (IPA Service)