'Ram temple in Ayodhya, mosque in Lucknow,' says Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Ram Vilas Vedanti

As the call for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been intensifying, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Ram Vilas Vedanti on Saturday announced the construction of the temple.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Vedanti announced that the construction of the temple in Ayodhya will start in December and added that the construction of a mosque will start in Lucknow. Vedanti reiterated that both the temple and the masjid will be constructed without an ordinance and on the basis of a mutual agreement.

"Construction of Ram Temple will begin in December. Without an ordinance and on the basis of mutual agreement, Ram temple will be constructed in Ayodhya and a masjid will be constructed in Lucknow," said Vedanti.

Earlier in September, Vedanti had claimed that the construction of Ram temple will begin before the 2019 general elections.

"BJP has resolved to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir will begin before the election of 2019 takes place," Vedanti had told reporters.

As per reports, BJP president Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Hyderabad in July, apparently said that the Ram temple would be built before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party later, however, denied of Shah having said so.

On June 25, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya would be done "when Lord Ram will shower his blessings on Ayodhya".

The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528, was, on December 6, 1992, razed to the ground allegedly by Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram temple that originally stood there. The case is in the Supreme Court now.