Bengaluru, Mar 19 (IANS): The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Friday said that the work of constructing the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be accomplished only after the socio-cultural-economic assimilation work across the country is completed.

Manmohan Vaidya, Sah Sarkaryavah (Joint General Secretary) of the RSS, said, "This (Temple) is just like any other temple, this is a temple that will be the country's symbol of socio-economic-cultural advancement."

He was addressing a press conference at the two-day Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meeting that was convened in Bengaluru on Friday.

He said that the two-day meet will pass two resolutions exclusively dedicated to the Ram Mandir alone.

"RSS firmly believes that construction of Ram Mandir will be accomplished only when the country is socially, economically and culturally assimilated," he said, and added that the temple of Somnath was raided umpteen number of times and it was done because the temple was considered to be the socio-economic advancement's symbols.

He asserted that Lord Ram is not just a symbol of God, but he is also the symbol of the country's tallest history and cultural figure. "For the RSS, he is the biggest personality of cultural awakening. Therefore, the temple work will only be accomplished when the country imbibes these things," he said.

RSS didn't mark houses during Ram Mandir fund drive: Vaidya

In an effort to end the debate over the Ram Mandir fund collection, Vaidya on Friday categorically rebutted allegations that the RSS marked houses while carrying out the nationwide fund raising activity.

He said that the organisation believes that "those who contributed funds for the Ram Mandir are its own people and those who did not are also its own".

"We (RSS) never differentiated on any basis," he said while responding to a question adding that it might be the media's perception that the RSS marks houses, but that was not true.

The Sah Sarkaryavah added that the RSS launched a fund collection drive to reach out to people and not for funds alone.

"Lord Ram and his mandir are not under anyone's mercy, it would come up anyway automatically even if the drive was not launched. We launched this drive to reach out to people and convey the message of Ram Mandir and the reasons behind building such a magnificent temple (in Ayodhya)," he said.

He added that over 20 lakh Sangh workers reached 5,45,737 places across the country and through this drive the RSS was able to develop contacts with more than 12.5 crore families in the country.

"Our workers reached out even tiniest habitats situated in the most difficult of terrains in Mizoram, Andaman and Ladak with this drive," he explained.