Kolkata, Nov 5 (PTI) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale Monday said the issue of Ram temple should be settled through discussion among Hindus and Muslims and that there was no need for an ordinance as the the court was yet to pronounce its verdict.
"We can all understand very well the emotions and sentiments of the people of the Hindu community who want construction of the Ram temple. But any decision would be taken after discussion with the Muslim community," Athawale, the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment told reporters here.
"We all should wait till the Supreme Court gives its verdict. Till then I feel no one should take the law in their own hands to construct the temple," he added.
The chorus for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya has been growing with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) demanding an ordinance to acquire land at the disputed site to build the temple.
"I don't feel there is any need for bringing in an ordinance. The present government believes in 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and not in appeasement of a particular community," Athawale said.
"There should not be any attempt to pressurize the government and we should wait for the court's verdict," Athawale, who is a leader of the Republican Party of India, a constituent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, said.
On the issue of opposition parties forming a grand alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Athawale said the coalition will not taste success as there are too many prime ministerial candidates and differences among the parties.
"In this grand (opposition) alliance there is no unity. There are a lot of issues... Even if Congress tries to come up with an alliance it won't be able to stop the BJP-led NDA from returning to power," the union minister said and claimed that BJP will bag 300 seats and NDA as a whole will bag more than 400 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls.
He further condemned the killing of five Bengali-speaking people in Tinsukia in Assam and said the state government was taking action against the culprits.
The killings should not be linked with the process of Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC), Athawale added.
