Ballia (UP), Oct 12: Bouyed over the support he got on his stand on the Ram temple issue, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi undertook a two-day tour of eastern Uttar Pradesh campaigning for the Ram temple at Ayodhya for which he favoured coming together of the two communities. "There is a general support and there is a overwhelming feeling among the masses for the construction of Ram temple", said Joshi, who had recently resigned from the Union cabinet on moral ground after Rae Bareli court had decided to frame charges against him in the Babri Masjid demolition case, but his resignation was rejected by Prime Minister after a stay from the high court. Strongly advocating that the best approach would be through a consensus between both the communities, Joshi told a news agency correspondent accompanying him on a two-day tour that the "time is ripe" for a solution to this vexed issue.

Joshi toured Ghazipur, Ballia and Mughalsarai and received a rousing reception, the first after his return to the government after he took a stand that he would quit the government if judiciary decided to frame charges against him. People across the country had expressed their desire that the issue be resolved as speedily as possible, he said adding this feeling had also received further encouragement after the findings of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation report.

Bureau Report