Yogi Adityanath welcomes government plea in SC of returning 67 acre land in Ayodhya

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday welcomed the Central government's plea seeking the Supreme Court's permission to return the 67 acre of acquired land around the disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site to its original owners. "We welcome this initiative of the Central government. We should get permission to start work on the undisputed piece of land," the chief minister said in Allahabad.

State government's spokesperson Siddhartnath Singh said the Union government is working on all aspects within the ambit of Constitution to fulfil the long-pending aspirations of the people. Accusing the Congress of trying to delay the resolution of the matter beyond the upcoming 2019 general elections, Singh said the entire country wants the Ram temple to be built at the earliest as it is a matter of faith for all.

Ruling out any pressure from the Dharam Sansad or due to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Singh said the legal procedure is being followed as the hearing on the temple issue is set to start now in the Supreme Court. Asked if the temple construction could start before the polls, he said, "I can merely say that government wants the temple be built at the earliest as the issue is connected with the people."

The Centre moved the Supreme Court Tuesday seeking its permission to return the 67-acre acquired land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi Babri Masjid site to original owners. In a fresh plea to the court, the Centre said it had acquired 67 acre of land around the 2.77 acre of disputed Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The plea has said the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (a trust to promote the construction of Ram Temple) had sought return of excess land acquired in 1991 to its original owners.

(With inputs from agencies.)