Congress asked Supreme Court to delay Ayodhya case till 2019 polls, threatened to impeach judges: PM Narendra Modi

Amid growing demand for Ram temple at a disputed site in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Congress had asked the Supreme Court to delay hearing the case because of 2019 polls and accused its leaders of threatening to impeach judges.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Alwar ahead of the Rajasthan assembly election, Modi said Congress was dragging the judiciary into politics.

“It is creating an atmosphere of fear for the judiciary. One of their leaders asked the Supreme Court to delay the Ayodhya hearing because of 2019 polls. When a judge doesn’t pay heed to their demands, they try to threaten the judiciary with impeachment. How can such things be accepted?” he asked, adding that he had assured full freedom to the judiciary to ensure justice.

Modi’s reference is to Congress leader Kapil Sibal who sought deferment of the Ayodhya site dispute case to until after 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sibal had sought the deferment as the counsel for the Sunni Waqf Board and told the court that the Ayodhya matter has serious repercussions outside the court.

Hindu leaders and groups have intensified demand for building Ram temple after the Supreme Court in October pushed the hearing in the dispute to January 2019.

Uddhav Thackeray, chief of BJP ally Shiv Sena, has said that the Modi government will not be in power if it does not build a Ram temple.

Hindus believe the 16th-century mosque, Babri Masjid, was built over a temple dedicated to Hindu god Ram, whose birthplace is also considered to be at the site. The mosque was demolished by a mob of thousands in 1992, triggering a cycle of violence and riots across India.