Emphasising his pledge to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya, Bharatiya Janata Party president L K Advani said on Sunday that his yatra to the Somnath temple would end only when a 'grand temple' was built.
"For the past 15 years - since 1990 - I have been coming here on this very day for the darshan of Lord Somnath. A new chapter in Indian politics began when I embarked on the rath yatra from here," Advani told reporters. "This yatra will end only when a grand Ram Temple is built at Ayodhya."
The BJP president, who recently announced that he would resign from the post in December, sidestepped several questions about the current political situation in Gujarat, including those concerning suspended member of legislative assembly, Ramilaben Desai.
Advani arrived in this coastal town in Junagadh district on Sunday morning to mark the15th anniversary of his maiden rath yatra to Ayodhya in 1990, which also coincided with the birth anniversary of veteran leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
The BJP president, who is a trustee of the ancient temple, performed puja for around 45 minutes. He was accompanied by party's state president Vajubhai Vala and Om Mathur, in-charge of party affairs in Gujarat.
However, chairman of the Somnath Temple Trust, Keshubhai Patel, who is a known critic of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, did not attend the function. Advani would visit Keshod before embarking on a flight to Delhi from Ahmedabad.
