Mysuru: Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Dr. Subramanian Swamy has said construction of the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya will commence soon and it will be ready to receive devotees by next Deepavali. He was addressing a public meeting on “Ram Mandir – Way Forward” organised by Virat Hindustan Sangam (VHS) at Rajendra Kalamandira in city yesterday.

“Construction of the temple is likely to begin sooner than later. For electoral success it is essential that the ideology of Hindutva is never lost sight of,” he said, adding that the Ram temple is the wish of the entire Nation.

The temple issue will be resolved by the Supreme Court in three months and the judgement will be in favour of building a temple in Ayodhya, he claimed. The construction of a Ram temple was a matter of faith for Hindus and the community had every right to build it without further delay, he added.

“Rajiv Gandhi was the only true Hindu leader in the Congress and he wanted from the core of his heart that a Ram temple is built at Ayodhya,” he said.

He said the minority community should forsake its claim over the disputed site, and co-operate with Ram devotees in constructing the temple. “We will give them some space to construct a mosque on the other side of the Sarayu River in Ayodhya,” the MP added.

Dr. Swamy cited a 2003 geological survey report placed before the Allahabad High Court to buttress his claim that Lord Ram was born on the disputed site. “Hence, the temple will be constructed on that very spot while the mosque can be set up elsewhere,” he said.

The BJP leader told the gathering that the Union government has assured him that it would “not touch” the ancient Ram Sethu or Adam’s Bridge in implementation of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project.

“The Sethusamudram shipping channel project has been facing protests from political parties, environmentalists and several Hindu religious groups. The mythological Ram Sethu is a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameswaram in South India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. The Ram Sethu must be protected and promoted as a  tourist spot,” he said.

Did Rama study engineering to build Ram Sethu?

Interspersing his speech with interesting tidbits, Dr. Subramanian Swamy had the audience in splits. Among them was an interesting incident on former Tamil Nadu Chief Minster M. Karunanidhi.

Narrating the incident, Dr. Swamy said, “When I went to Supreme Court against the Sethusamudram project, Karunanidhi telephoned me and asked me if Rama studied engineering to build a Ram Sethu.”

“The very next day, Karunanidhi fell ill and was admitted to Ramachandra Hospital. I called him and asked whether Rama studied MBBS,” Dr. Swamy said, sending the audience into peals of laughter.