India News | Want to Visit Ayodhya Once Before I Die, Says BJP Veteran
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Retired teacher Subhash Salkar, who was glued to the TV since Wednesday morning to watch the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for Ram temple in Ayodhya, says he would like to visit the city at least once before he dies.
Panaji, Aug 5 (PTI) Retired teacher Subhash Salkar, who was glued to the TV since Wednesday morning to watch the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for Ram temple in Ayodhya, says he would like to visit the city at least once before he dies.
Salkar, a BJP leader, was part of a group of 750-odd `karsevaks' (volunteers) from Goa who were present in Ayodhya when Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.
Union AYUSH minister Shripad Naik as well as former Defence Minister late Manohar Parrikar were also in that group, Salkar, 71, reminisced.
"If there were no restrictions due to COVID-19, I would have certainly traveled to Ayodhya to witness the ceremony," he said.
"We were there for seven days (in 1992). I remember one time when we all including Parrikar slept in a pandal after listening to the speeches of L K Advani, Sadhvi Ritambara and others," he said.
Salkar, who was part of the BJP's core team in Goa, saw the party establishing its presence in State Legislative Assembly by winning four seats in 1994, two years later.
"We cannot look at the Ram Mandir issue from a political point of view. But it is true that BJP got the support of the majority after the incident (the demolition of the Babri Masjid)," he said.
"I want to go to Ayodhya again, at least once before I die," he said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)