State BJP president Dilip Ghosh today took pot shots at the Trinamul Congress for its ‘silence’ on the ‘historic’ Ayodhya verdict and said the ruling party had always indulged in the vote bank politics by keeping mum on major issues. Addressing a press conference at state BJP headquarters, Mr Ghosh also hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the disputed land at Ayodhya as ‘historic’.

He said the BJP and the saffron brigade had spearheaded the Ram Janambhoomi movement for long and would “definitely reap political benefits once the temple is built”. Raising question over the silence of Miss Banerjee and other TMC leaders on the Ayodhya verdict, he said the ruling party has always preferred to keep silent when it came to taking a stand on issues related to national and social interests.

“I would like to thank the apex court for its historic judgment. All of us should respect the court’s judgement. We are hopeful that the temple will be built soon. Hundreds of kar sevaks, who had lost their lives during the Ram Janambhommi movements, will now rest in peace,” he said. Being asked to comment on TMC leadership’s silence on the apex court’s verdict on Ayodhya land dispute, he dared the party to take a stand.“Whenever there is an issue pertaining to national security, the TMC leadership either goes silent or takes a stand which is completely against the interests of the nation and society.

This time also the same thing has happened. I would ask them to come out clean on whether they support the judgment or oppose it. I am sure they won’t be able to answer my question,” Mr Ghosh said. He also said Miss Banerjee always preferred vote bank politics and so she had earlier refrained from commenting on major issues like Pulwama attack, airstrike on terrorist training camp at Balakot and abolition of Article 370.

In one of the most important and most- awaited judgements in India’s history, a five-judge Constitution bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Saturday put an end to the more than a century-old dispute that has torn the social fabric of the nation. The court in its unanimous verdict cleared the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.

The mosque should be constructed at a “prominent site”, allotted either by the Centre or the Uttar Pradesh government, and a trust should be formed within three months for the construction of the temple at the site, where, many Hindus believe, Lord Ram was born, the court directed.