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Hindu nationalists say they will begin constructing temple next year

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January 21, 2001 

ALLAHABAD--(AP) - Hindu nationalists announced Saturday that they will begin constructing a Hindu temple at the site of a demolished 16th century mosque in March next year if the government failed to resolve the dispute by then.

"After that, we will start the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya immediately. No power on the earth can stop us," said Acharya Dharmendra Maharaj, chairman of the central executive of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or the World Hindu Council.

A crowd of 10,000 devout Hindus greeted the announcement with chants of "Jai Sri Rama," or "Hail Rama", Hinduism's principle deity, in whose honor the Hindu nationalists propose to build the temple.

The announcement came on the second day of a three-day religious congregation of thousands of Hindu nationalists, priests and holy men.

The 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya by a Hindu mob sparked religious riots between Hindus and Muslims that killed 2,000 people across India. Hindu nationalists claim the mosque had been built at the site of the birthplace of Rama. Muslims deny the claim.

Saturday's decision could lead to tensions between the majority Hindus and the minority Muslims, whose leaders have refused to talk to Hindu nationalist groups to find an out of court settlement of the dispute.

Acharya Dharmendra Maharaj announced a yearlong "prayer and public awareness campaign" across the country, leading up to the March 2002 deadline to build the temple.

Before that, the VHP would organize begin a "Saint's march" in which more than 5,000 Hindu holy men would walk from Ayodhya to New Delhi, a distance of 550 kilometers (350 miles), in a show of strength.

The VHP has chosen to rake up the temple issue at a time when millions of people are gathered at the Kumbh Mela, being described as the greatest spiritual spectacle of the new millennium. The party has put on display a model of the proposed new Rama temple and pilgrims line up to view it during the festival.

The VHP has an eye on the state elections later this year or early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state where the VHP plans to build the temple and the site of the Kumbh Mela. With nearly 140 million people, the state controls the biggest chunk of 85 seats in the 545-seat Lok Sabha, the most powerful house of Parliament.

India's Supreme Court is hearing a petition to decide whether a temple had existed at the site of the mosque, which was pulled down by thousands of Hindu nationalists on Dec. 6, 1992.