Uttar Pradesh: Kar sewaks not invited, felicitation later this year

LUCKNOW: With the pandemic forcing the temple trust to scale down celebrations and shorten the invitee list, excluding

kar sewaks

from ‘

bhoomi pujan

’, Vishwa Hindu Parishad has decided to felicitate its foot soldiers, who were at the vanguard of the

temple movement

in the early Nineties.

VHP sources said, it has chosen three days — October 30, November 2 and December 6 — to honour kar sewaks, who sacrificed their lives for the cause. While the first two dates commemorate those who died in police firing in 1990 while trying to assemble at Ramjanmabhoomi during Mulayam Singh Yadav’s regime, December 6 marks the day in 1992, when the disputed structure was razed.

Talking to TOI, VHP national general secretary Milind Parande said, “We always remember the sacrifice of kar sewaks on these days. Now, is the time to honour them,” he said, confirming VHP’s plans to mobilise its cadre to contact kar sewaks and families of those who died for the temple cause. “They would be felicitated. Had it not been for the pandemic, we would have asked them to troop to Ayodhya,” said Parande.

Earlier, VHP had decided to honour lawyers who fought the legal battle in Supreme Court. In January this year, home minister Amit Shah had said

temple construction

would begin soon. In fact, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerath Kshetra Trust had zeroed in a period between March 25 and Ram Navami (April 4). But plans were delayed following the Covid outbreak.

VHP sources said, the organisation has a complete database of kar sewaks, who contributed to the cause of the temple. This comes close on heels of plans to reach out to 2.75 lakh villages, which contributed a brick and Rs 1.25 for the temple at the peak of movement.

The Trust also plans to crowd-fund the temple project, instead of relying on the government. According to plans, its cadre would fan out across the country to seek donation from willing people. “The issue is associated with faith and sentiments of crores of Hindus, who will contribute to the construction,” said a senior VHP functionary..