Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or the World Hindu Council, and their parent movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), have asked the government to issue an executive order to build a temple, bypassing the Supreme Court. Hindu groups insist that there was a temple at the site before the mosque was built in 1528 by a Muslim ruler. Anti-Muslim slogans reverberated on roads leading to the gathering near the old part of the city, where many Muslim families live. In the run-up to a general election due by May 2019, the BJP and other Hindu groups have ratcheted up their demand for a new temple at the disputed site. For the past three decades, the BJP and Hindu outfits associated with it have resurrected the Ayodhya controversy before elections, stoking tensions between Hindus and Muslims.

Source: Egypt Independent December 09, 2018 14:03 UTC