Lucknow: As news of demise of former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh was flashed on social media and news channels on Saturday night, a pal of gloom descended over Ayodhya.
Saints of Ayodhya firmly believe that Ram temple could not have come up had Kalyan Singh not been chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the disputed structure was razed by karsevaks on December 6, 1992.
Expressing grief over the demise of Kalyan Singh, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust said: “The doyen of Ram temple movement has passed away.”
“It is an extremely sad day for us. Before Ram temple could come up at Ram Janmabhoomi, Kalyan Singh went for his heavenly abode,” added Nritya Gopal Das.
Champat Rai, general secretary of the Trust, said: “Kalyan Singh took complete responsibility for whatever happened in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. He had the courage to own up for all events that occurred in Ayodhya on December 6.”
Mahant Dhinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara, said: “With the death of Kalyan Singh, an important chapter of the Ram temple movement has come to an end.”
{{/usCountry}}Mahant Dhinendra Das, head of the Nirmohi Akhara, said: “With the death of Kalyan Singh, an important chapter of the Ram temple movement has come to an end.”
{{/usCountry}}“Kalyan Singh had preferred to resign from the chief ministership instead of using force to stop karsevaks (on December 6),” added Dhinendra Das.
He was talking about the December 6, 1992, events in Ayodhya when the disputed Babri Masjid structure was demolished by karsevaks.
Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, said: “Kalyan Singh was the one who had paved the way for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Had Kalyan Singh not been the CM of Uttar Pradesh (on December 6, 1992), Ram temple would been a distant dream even today.”
Kalyan Singh had close association with the Mani Ram Das Chhavi Peeth, the math in Ayodhya from where all important decisions related with Ram temple are taken.
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das is head of this math.
Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya, the epicentre of Ram Mandir movement, paid tributes to the former Uttar Pradesh CM as news of his demise reached there.
“It is a sad day for us. I wish Kalyan Singh had lived longer to see Ram temple come up in Ayodhya for which he had preferred to resign from the CM’s post instead of stopping karsevaks (on December 6, 1992), said Sharad Sharma, regional spokesperson, VHP, who operates from Karsevakpuram, Ayodhya.