The Rajya Sabha was briefly stalled for a while on Wednesday morning. Members of the Opposition parties — the Congress, the Samajwadi party and Janta Dal (United) — raised the issue of stones being transported from Rajasthan and Gujarat apparently for building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Janata Dal (United) member KC Tyagi raised the issue in the Upper House during Zero Hour. He said the BJP was setting the stage to kick up a communal storm in Uttar Pradesh.
Members of the Opposition parties jumped into the well of the House and began shouting slogans: "Stop manufacturing riots in UP",
Two trucks loaded with stones for the purpose of building a Ram temple have reportedly arrived in Ayodhya.
"Stone carving for the construction of the temple has been going on at a site one and a half kilometres away from the historical disputed site since 1990," said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.
Uttar Pradesh will witness Assembly elections in early 2017.
"We have signals from the Narendra Modi government that the Mandir construction will be done now," religious leader Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was quoted as saying by PTI.
Once the session ended, outside the parliament Mayawati was heard asking the BJP to "restrain its people". NDTV quoted her as saying that the Ram Temple issue has been a major agenda for the Modi government and for the RSS.
