Home Ministry decision on Ram Temple trust soon

Discussions are still on among a team of experts in the ministry of home affairs over who all would be part of the trust that will be handed the responsibility of constructing the Ram temple and decision is likely to be taken soon, according to officials familiar with the developments.

Union home minister Amit Shah had claimed on Tuesday no Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member will be part of the trust and that public funds won’t be spent on the construction of temple, which would begin in next four months.

Officials cited above said MHA is currently deliberating several aspects including whether new trust will have members from different Hindu organizations; role of Ram Lalla Virajman, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas run by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, legal aspects, funding etc. “Nothing is final yet so it would be difficult to share any conclusive details on discussion,” said the officer.

On the funding, a senior RSS functionary, who didn’t wish to be named, said “It has been the culture of Hindus for centuries that the devotees only come together to build the temple. Hindu community is huge and arranging money through crowd-funding for Ram Temple at Ayodhya won’t be a problem”.

As reported by HT on Wednesday, the VHP is planning to crowd-fund around ₹100 crore for the temple.

The Supreme Court, on November 9, put an end to the 70-year legal battle over the disputed site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid stood before its demolition in 1992. The five-judge SC bench led by (then) Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ruled in favour of Ram Lalla and said the entire disputed land spread over 2.7 acres will be handed over to a trust formed by the government, which will monitor the construction of a Ram temple at the site.

The court also said that the Sunni Waqf Board will be given an alternative five-acre plot in Ayodhya to build a mosque.