After Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath and Mathura need to be liberated, says Vinay Katiyar

Veteran BJP leader Vinay Katiyar in an exclusive interview to the ETV Bharat remembers days of Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Mulayam Singh Yadav's order to shoot and much more.

Hyderabad:BJP leader, founder-president of Bajrang Dal, Vinay Katiyar who was an extensive part of the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi movement is ecstatic that finally, the devotees will be able to have Ram darshan in the majestic temple, the foundation of which is all set to be laid by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5.

The 65-year-old leader in an exclusive interview to ETV Bharat reminisced about the 1990s - days of the Ayodhya movement and said, despite facing lathi blows and bullets, the kar sevaks - a term used for volunteers affiliated to the right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) kept fighting and did not stop even after the streets turned bloody due to the clashes.

"The Sarayu river had turned bloody as Mulayam Singh Yadav, the then-Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh had ordered firing on the devotees of Lord Ram. He will be remembered as a murderer in history for this," Katiyar said.

He added that Atal Behari Vajpayee had initially proposed to give 40 acres of land to the Muslims which they rejected, after which the movement went on for decades.

"However, whatever the Supreme court gave them for mosque and us (Kar sevaks) for the temple, we are happy with that," he said.

Crediting late Ashok Singhal for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement's success, Katiyar said he was the guide that led them to victory and besides him, Mahant Avaidyanath, Paramhans Ramchandra Das and Dawood Dayal Khanna were also key in the success.

Talking about the Bajrang Dal and its formation, Katiyar said that the point of its formation was to fight for Ram temple in Ayodhya, now that it's done, next on the cards is the liberation of Kashi Vishwanath and Mathura.

However, he added that no course of action has been identified for the process as of now and much remains to be seen.

He went to explain how the issue of Kashi and Mathura is different and said that in Ayodhya, the temple had to be built from the scratch but the temples in Kashi and Mathura need to be liberated as they are surrounded by mosques and other relics.

On the political career front, Katiyar who has held the posts of BJP vice-president, general secretary and state unit president said, "If the party desires, I will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election."