Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday offered his prayers at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple in Ayodhya, restating his support for the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.
“According to the expectations of the world, I wish a Ram temple is built soon in Ayodhya," he said as he unveiled a seven-foot rosewood statue of Lord Ram at the city's Shodh Sansthan Museum. The statue unveiled by Adityanath represents Kodandrama, one of the five forms of Lord Ram. It was bought from the Karnataka State Arts and Crafts Emporium.
During his first visit to the temple town after the Lok Sabha elections, he took part in celebrations to mark the birthday of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. In his address, he accused the previous governments of maintaining distance from Lord Ram and argued that the deity was important to the country's identity.
He then further claimed that the original copy of the Constitution included a picture of Lord Ram, in an apparent reference to one of the illustrations in an early manuscript.
He then thanked Ayodhya's seers for their “blessings” which helped the BJP get a second term at the Centre.
He added that the people had rejected negative politics in the Lok Sabha elections. “A strong and prosperous nation leads to peace and harmony. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fast-paced development work has raised India's prestige across the globe," he said.
He also claimed that several welfare and development schemes are being implemented in the region for the betterment of the people of Ayodhya.
He also visited the Hanumangarhi temple and inspected a pump house being constructed at the banks of the Saryu river. His trip comes ahead of a planned visit here by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with 18 newly elected party MPs.
The party’s visit on 16th June is being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the BJP-led government over the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site.
The title suit over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is being heard by the Supreme Court.