He was arrested numerous times during the movement and led some 50,000 kar sevaks to Ayodhya in 1992. Maurya has been a vocal opponent of cow slaughter and religious conversion, even going to jail in one case over the latter. Excerpts from an interview:
How do you look back on the Ram Mandir movement?
The temple is the result of 500 years of hard penance. It is like no struggle before it and there will be none like it. The construction of the temple is the final offering in a yagya (fire ritual) that has continued for centuries. If this country's former prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had sacrificed appeasement like the 'Iron Man' Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, then Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi would have been free like Somnath. No innocent Ram bhakts would have been killed by the Samajwadi Party government.
What about your role in it?
This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the January 14, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
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