Kolkata: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Saturday questioned Trinamool Congress' silence on the Ayodhya verdict and said the ruling party of Bengal always prefers to keep quiet when it comes to taking a stand on issues related to national and social interests.
Hailing the Supreme Court verdict on the disputed land at Ayodhya as "historic", Ghosh said BJP and the saffron camp had spearheaded the Ram Janambhoomi movement for a long time and would "definitely get political benefit once the temple is built".
When asked whether BJP would get any political dividend from the issue, Ghosh said the saffron camp had been leading the movement for a long time but not for any political benefit. "But if there are any such gains it will definitely benefit us".
"I would like to thank the apex court for its historic judgement. All of us should respect the court judgement. We are hopeful that the temple would be built soon. Hundreds of kar sevaks, who had lost their lives during the Ram Janambhommi movement will now rest in peace," he told a press conference here. Asked to comment on TMC leadership's silence on the apex court's verdict on Ayodhya land dispute, he dared it to take a stand.
"Whenever there is an issue pertaining to national security, the TMC leadership either goes silent or takes a stand which is completely against the interests of the nation and society. This time too the same thing has happened. I would ask them to come out clean on whether they support it (the judgement) or oppose it. I am sure they won't be able to answer my question," Ghosh said.
The Trinamool Congress maintained silence on the Ayodhya verdict even as major parties of the state - the BJP, CPI(M) and the Congress came out with their reactions. Not a single leader of the ruling TMC, including party supremo Mamata Banerjee, put out a reaction on the judgement till 5 pm.
According to TMC sources, there has been "strict instruction" from the party top brass asking its leaders not to "utter a single word" on the judgement. "We have been asked not to speak on this issue. Only our party supremo Mamata Banerjee will speak on it if needed. Or it will be by someone assigned by her," a senior TMC leader told PTI on condition of anoynimity.
A section of the saffron camp claimed that TMC is in "a fix" over coming out with a reaction as it is in a "dilemma on whether to welcome the Supreme Court verdict as we did or oppose it as some Muslims leader did".
In one of the most important and most anticipated judgements in India's history, a five-judge Constitution bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Saturday put an end to the more than a century old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation.
The court in its unanimous verdict cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.
The mosque should be constructed at a "prominent site", allotted either by the Centre or the Uttar Pradesh government, and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, the court directed.
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