July 20, 2013: The Sangh Parivar held an important meeting at Ayodhya on Friday to finalise the preparations for the ‘chaurasi parikrama’ that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has obviously planned as a precursor to the ram temple agitations that various Hindu organizations are expected to intensify before the General elections.  

Senior VHP leaders including Ashok Singhal, Champat Rai as well as local BJP leaders including Lallu Singh Chauhan and Anil Tiwari were among those who attended the meeting called to review the preparations for the chaurasi kosi parikrama.

“We reviewed the preparations including arrangements of food and stay for those participating in 300 km yatra to begin on August 25 negotiating its way through six districts including Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar,Barabanki, Shrawasti and Gonda before it concluded at Ayodhya on September 13,” VHP’s regional spokesman, Sharad Sharma told the HT.

He said that the yatra would cover a distance of 15 km everyday with renowned sants from the state and outside taking part in it which he said aimed at religious awakening.

Sources, however, said that the chaurasi kosi parikrama had a hidden agenda of raking up the Ram temple issue mobilizing people for it before the Lok Sabha elections,

“It was also decided at the meeting at Ayodhya on Friday that the VHP and other like-minded Hindu organizations would demand the Congress-led Central government to deliver its 1994 commitment that said that it would pave the way for the construction of the Ram temple if the excavations found signs of existence of such a temple at the disputed site,” said a leader participating in the meeting.

“We also pledged not to allow construction of the Babri mosque anywhere in the chaurasi kosi area (300 km are in the region), leave alone at the dispute site in Ayodhya,” he further said.

Source: Hindustan Times, DT. July 20, 2013.