Times Now calls Yogi Adityanath’s call for contribution to Ram Mandir at Ayodhya ‘controversial’ and ‘bizarre’

In an election rally in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called upon Hindus to donate Rs 11 per family for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya and also donate one brick per family for the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. Considering the Ram Janmabhooomi movement has spanned centuries and has been the rallying point for Hindus, it is not surprising that Hindus would want to contribute to the building to a Grand Ram Temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. However, according to Times Now, this proposition was ‘bizarre and controversial’.

The headline of the Times Now article itself was heavily skewed for no apparent reason.

The headline of the article screamed, “Yogi Adityanath stokes fresh controversy; asks families to donate Rs 11, stone for Ram Mandir’s construction”.

The very first sentence in the article too points to the same agenda. It says, “Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stoked a new controversy when he requested Rs 11 and a stone from each family for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He made the bizarre request during an election rally in Jharkhand”. 

Read: VHP scales up preparations for Ram Mandir, 70 trucks carrying stones to arrive at Ayodhya soon

The Ram Janmabhoomi conflict was ongoing for almost 500 years with generations after generations fighting for the Hindu’s right on the birthplace of Lord Ram. Right from the Marathas to the Nath sampradaya, to which Yogi Adityanath belongs to the Karsevaks who were brutally murdered, the fight has been to build a Ram Mandir at the Ram Janmabhoomi which was earlier desecrated and a Mosque was built in its place.

Read: Dharma, Deva, Desha: Three phases of Ram Janmabhoomi movement, who decided Babri Masjid had to go and day of reckoning

Recently, the Supreme Court accorded the entire 67 acres land to Hindus and had granted a 5 acre alternate land to Muslims to construct their Mosque. The SC had said that a trust will be formed by the government that will oversee the construction of the Ram Temple. Further, the review petitions that were filed by various Muslim parties were recently thrown out by the Supreme Court thereby removing any roadblocks in the way of constructing a grand Ram Temple.

Read: Three Generations, One Dream: Here’s why Yogi Adityanath considered the Ram Mandir his life’s mission

Since the Ram Temple is an emotive issue and one that strikes a chord with Hindus, one has to wonder what Times Now found controversial about Yogi Adityanath’s statement. In fact, several Hindus have been donating bricks with their names carved on it for the construction of the Ram Temple for decades as it is seen a religious belief among Hindus.

It has been the habit of mainstream media to create controversy where there exists none and this seems like just another attempt by Times Now.