Vishwa Hindu Parishad Halts Stone Carving Work For Ram Temple Construction Ahead of Ayodhya Verdict

Ahead of the apex court's verdict in the Ayodhya case, all the artisans who were involved in the work related to Ram temple construction have been sent home, stated news agency PTI.

New Delhi: For the first time since 1990, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has allegedly halted all the stone carving work undertaken for the construction of a Ram Temple in the disputed land in Ayodhya. This move has come ahead of the much-awaited Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid demolition case, stated news agency PTI.

VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma informed that all the artisans, who were involved in the uninterrupted work of temple construction for Lord Ram, were sent home, added the report. Top leaders of the Hindu right-wing organization VHP had decided to halt the carving work, added Sharma. It must be noted that VHP was responsible for initiating the stone carving work back in the 19990s when Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

“We have stopped the carving of stones and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas will decide when the carving will be restarted,” Sharma was quoted by news agency PTI as saying. So far, the stone carving for the first floor measuring up to 1.25 lakh cubic foot was reported to be over while the rest of the proposed temple structure measuring  1.75 lakh cubic footstone is yet to be carved, informed the VHP, as per news agency PTI.

The verdict in the case is likely to be delivered by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi before his retirement on November 17. Gogoi heads the five-judge bench that will hear the arguments in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid demolition case.