Lucknow, Nov. 27 (The Telegraph) : The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today announced a large gathering in Ayodhya on December 6, the Babri demolition anniversary, trying to rebuild the Ram temple campaign around the ashes of its late president Ashok Singhal.

Some 300 VHP and BJP activists arrived in Ayodhya today in four buses, carrying Singhal's ashes in an urn. They immersed the ashes in the Saryu in a ceremony attended by about 4,000 people, who formally took a vow to build a Ram temple on the disputed site.

The move attracted criticism from Muslim litigants and lawyers involved in the Ramjanmabhoomi (Ram's birthplace) case, which is before the Supreme Court.

"Let the dead rest if you want to pay an honest tribute to Singhal. We have seen them doing politics on Ramjanmabhoomi, but the politics of ashes is disgusting and dangerous," Hashim Ansari, the oldest surviving plaintiff in the case, said.

"They are politicising his urn to emotionally exploit Hindus."

Zafaryab Jilani, additional advocate-general with the Uttar Pradesh government and a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, alleged the Sangh parivar was looking to polarise the state ahead of the Assembly polls, due in early 2017.

After Singhal's death 10 days ago, the VHP sent out 51 asthi-kalash yatras (journeys with the ashes of the dead in urns) to various places from his hometown, Allahabad, on November 23.

One of them was headed to Ayodhya, and reached the town after a roundabout trip that included programmes and night halts in Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli and Lucknow. At the state capital, former MP Lalji Tandon received the yatra.

In Ayodhya, BJP leader Lallu Singh, the MP from Faizabad, led the immersion. VHP leaders said they planned "a bigger tribute to Singhal after nine days", that is, on the 23<+>rd<+> anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas --- a trust formed by the VHP to promote and oversee the construction of the Ram temple --- and VHP secretary-general Champat Rai administered an oath to the gathering to build the temple on the disputed site "soon".

They said there would be no more delay in "realising Singhal's dream of a magnificent Ram temple in Ayodhya".

"People from across the country will gather at Kar Sewakpuram on December 6 and chalk out the strategy to construct a Ram temple," Das said.

Every December 6, the VHP and associated organisations observe a shaurya diwas (bravery day) while local Muslims, mostly traders, organise a yaum-e-ghum (mourning day) and keep their shutters down.

Sources said Rai was the behind-the-scenes architect of every Ram temple-related activity in the state, and has been frequenting Ayodhya these days.

Sharad Sharma, spokesperson for the VHP's Ayodhya chapter, said the other 50 urns had been sent to places as far as Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Assam, Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir for the ashes to be immersed in major rivers.

"We'll speed up the Ram temple movement to pay Singhal a real tribute," he said.

Jilani, who has been a counsel for the Babri Masjid Action Committee, a party to the case, sounded a warning.

"The state government should ensure that these people don't try to realise their agenda," Jilani said.

"The VHP has changed its strategy after losing mass support. Now it tries to organise people by cheating them. The way they are using Singhal's ashes is an example before us."

He added: "We want the intelligence and administration to keep a close watch on them. They can create a problem anytime in Ayodhya."

State police chief Jagmohan Yadav said: "We are keeping a close watch on the