The BJP leadership, under pressure from the RSS, will at its January 11-12 national executive meeting take a call on bringing a law or an ordinance to pave the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, sources said.

The RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, has been demanding that the Narendra Modi government clear the hurdles in the path of a “grand Ram temple” in Ayodhya ahead of the 2019 general election by introducing a law or an ordinance to bypass the Supreme Court, which is hearing the land dispute.

The RSS has communicated to the BJP leadership that returning to power in 2019 will be difficult if the government fails on the temple front despite having a brute majority, the sources said.

“The issue will be discussed at the national executive meeting (in Delhi). Whether to bring a law or go for an ordinance or wait for the court verdict will be deliberated and a decision taken,” a BJP leader said.

The BJP leadership is in a bind on the temple issue and is weighing the pros and cons of opting for a law or an ordinance, the sources said.

The RSS wants the government to pass a law in the ongoing winter session of Parliament and if not then promulgate an ordinance in January.

“The slide in the Hindi heartland states, borne out partly by the Assembly election results, could turn serious in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if the BJP side-steps the Ram temple issue,” a senior RSS leader said.

After reviewing the results of the Assembly elections in five states, particularly Madhya Pradesh, the RSS has argued before the BJP leadership that the party would have won the keenly contested polls if it had announced a law for the construction of a Ram temple, the sources said.

The RSS has pointed out that in 22 seats in Madhya Pradesh the Congress’s victory margin was less than the Nota votes polled.

“The Nota votes were primarily of traditional BJP supporters who were upset for various reasons. A positive move towards the construction of a Ram temple would have prompted the voters to press the ‘lotus’ button,” an RSS leader claimed.

It is believed that many upper caste voters chose the none-of-the-above option because they were upset over the Modi government’s move to make the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act stringent, reversing the dilution of certain provisions by the Supreme Court.

The RSS feels that “Hindu consolidation” was needed if the BJP wants to return to power in 2019 and in the present context it can be achieved only by re-igniting “Hindu pride” through the Ram temple issue, the sources said.

The RSS also believes that the Congress will be caught on a sticky wicket if the government decides brings in a law or an ordinance. “The Congress will neither be able to oppose nor support the move. The party will get exposed before Hindu voters and it will generate a wave of support for the BJP,” an RSS leader said.

The BJP, however, is not sure whether an aggressive Hindutva line would help or harm the party before the polls.