‘Oppn should come to the feet of Lord Ram… It is not late. Lord Ram may forgive their mistakes’: BJP Faizabad MP Lallu Singh

The BJP’s Faizabad MP, Lallu Singh, was one of the key faces of the Ram Mandir movement and among the 32 accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case. As Ayodhya gears up for the consecration of the Ram Temple on January 22, Singh, under whose constituency the temple town falls, speaks to The Indian Express on what the temple represents, the Ram janmabhoomi movement, and if the BJP will take up the cause of other temples. Excerpts:

Singh: Lord Ram is the symbol of Hindu religion, culture and the centre of faith; he is our identity. If we take the example of any nation in this world, the faith of the majority would be the centre. And ours is a culture of an all-encompassing faith.

Millions had agitated for a temple for Prabhu Shri Ram in Ayodhya. The BJP had promised that it would make efforts to remove all the obstacles in getting a court clearance, and see to it that a temple for the Lord would be constructed.

After Modiji’s government was formed in 2014 and Yogiji (Yogi Adityanath) came to power in Uttar Pradesh, they have taken all efforts to clear the obstacles. The Supreme Court gave a verdict in favour of the construction and asked the government to grant land for the construction of the Masjid.

Whenever there is a positive outcome for a struggle, the credit goes to those behind it. It is quite natural that the BJP is taking the credit. We had led the agitation. Why would we not get the credit?

This Opposition had been arguing that Ram is a myth. The UPA government, on the issue of Ram Setu, had given an affidavit saying there were no historical records to prove the existence of Ram. They have been committing an error since the beginning (of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement).

Now, the Opposition is frustrated. It stems from