The Ramjanmabhoomi Trust has recently decided to accelerate the pace of stone cutting for the construction of the temple on the site of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh State), by employing 400 to 500 additional hands.

P. R. Das, president of the Trust, is confident that the BJP-led Government will surreptitiously facilitate the construction of a Ram Temple where the Babri Masjid once stood. Mr. Das hoped that Prime Minister Vajpayee as well as and UP chief minister Mr. Gupta would take bold steps to facilitate the construction of the temple when the time is ripe.

At Ayodhya, the work is on in full swing, notwithstanding occasional public outcries raised to spotlight the vicious intentions of the militant Hindu coalition commonly referred to as Sangh Parivar. At present, about 70 stone cutters are working full time. The Trust has decided to acquire five additional acres for a new stone cutting site. The additional workers would work at the new site.

As of now, the wage bill of the workers engaged at Ayodhya is about 200,000 Rupees a month.

Mr. Nagendra Upadhyaya, supervisor of the stone cutting workshop said the work would be completed in the next three years. Of the 212 stone pillars to be erected for the temple, 106 have been carved. Remaining work on the rest of the pillars, beams and roofing will take three years at the most.

According to Mr. Das, once the carving of the stones is complete, construction of the temple will start promptly. Mr. Das is evidently not concerned about the court order forbidding construction and the presence of law and order enforcement machinery to enforce the court order. He stated, "The same machinery was there when the idol was placed inside the disputed structure (Babri Mosque) or when the locks of the structure were opened or when the shilanyas (a ritual) was performed or when the Babri structure was demolished. Similarly, the temple will be constructed in the presence of all the government agencies and courts without any obstacles."

It is evident that the ruling Hindu nationalist party BJP is trying to translate its hidden-agenda into action with a sluggish pace. So far as the Babri Masjid issue is concerned, it has always ignored court orders.

The construction of pillars for the Ram temple in broad day light stands testimony to the fact that BJP and its affiliate Sangh Parivar have no regard for the court where the Babri Masjid issue is pending. From the very beginning, they have frequently and openly stated that they do not plan not to abide by any court decision with reference to the Babri issue. Occasionally, they have also raised demands for the reversal of the court decision by the Parliament.