Next Diwali in Ayodhya Ram temple, Swamy claims

Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Saturday claimed that the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya would begin soon and it would be ready to receive devotees by next Diwali.

"We will celebrate the forthcoming Diwali in Ram temple," said Swamy, who delivered a lecture on 'Ramrajya' in Mumbai on Saturday night.

"It is possible that Ram temple will be almost ready by October next year in Ayodhya, as everything is ready and all the material for construction is pre-fabricated. It is just a matter of attaching (assembling) it like the Swami Narayan Mandir," he said.

Ahead of the December 5 hearing of the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, Swamy said, "The Allahabad High Court already went deep in the subject so there is nothing remaining with the Sunni Waqf Board for rebuttal."

"I have presented an additional argument that offering prayers on the place is my and Hindu community's fundamental right. Muslims don't have that right; they are only interested in property, that is normal," he said.

There is no need to make a new law for building Ram temple, the BJP leader said.

The Narasimha Rao government had said in an affidavit in the Supreme Court that if it is established that there existed a temple at the place, the land would be given for construction of the temple. That has been established now, Swamy claimed.

"To confirm that we can bring a law. But, I think there is no need. Because we are winning the case and I have full trust that we will win," he said.