For Ramjanmabhoomi temple, use land acquisition route, Subramanian Swamy suggests to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Controversial BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting land acquisition as a route to getting the disputed land in Ayodhya for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, news agency ANI has reported.

The letter reportedly suggests that the Centre pass an ordinance on the ownership of the disputed site in Ayodhya. He said the ordinance could be followed by a law that hands over the land to a body of religious leaders with knowledge of the agama shastras, with a direction to build the Ram Janmabhoomi temple, ANI said.

Swamy has also suggested that the existing claimants, who are locked in a legal battle over the ownership of the land that is set to come up in the Supreme Court March 23, could be compensated financially.

Speaking to reporters later, he alleged that Congress-influenced lawyers want to halt progress in the case. "Therefore, I thought we must make the Constitution and law our weapon, and bring an ordinance," he said to ANI.

Swamy's letter is bound to raise hackles, coming as it does just a week before the Supreme Court's hearing in the title suit. Opposition leaders have gone so far as to ask the top court to defer hearing in the case till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, claiming the BJP would use it to its advantage. This plea had not only been rejected by the Supreme Court, but had also been strongly criticised by the Sunni Waqf Board, which is one of the claimants to the land.