The govt should not get into building Ram temple: Keshubhai Patel

Excerpts from an interview:

What do you remember of the 1990 Ram Rath Yatra?

I don’t recall much. When Advani started from here, I was also at Somnath. We gave the rath a send-off, after that I don’t know much…

When did Advani and Modi become members of the Somnath trust?

There was a vacancy, and I requested Advaniji, who used to come here every year, to become a trustee. First he refused. Then I told him there is sacrifice and history associated with this temple, and he was convinced. Five years ago, there was another vacancy, and we called Narendrabhai Modi. The trust meetings are usually held in Gandhinagar, but now Narendrabhai does not have time, so the last meeting was in Delhi.

READ | ‘Satyayug’ to ‘Kaliyug’: History of Somnath Temple

Do you think the Somnath temple has got its due?

No, not as much as it deserves. We got a little help from the Centre, but it does not compensate for its rich history.

What are your plans for the temple?

In 2004, the temple’s assets stood at Rs 5-7 crore. Now we have Rs 103 crore worth of assets, including donations. We are building a Ram temple with the donations. Donors from Delhi, Surat and Mumbai are supporting the gold-plating of the sanctum sanctorum. Eventually the entire temple will be gold-plated. The Ram mandir should be completed in a year.

Do you still support the BJP’s stated goal of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya?

There should be a Devasthan trust building it. The government should not get into it.