Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Chitrakoot on Friday that it was his privilege to be invited to the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Speaking at a book launch event at Tulsi Peeth of Padma Vibhushan Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, Mr. Modi hailed the Hindu seer for his contribution in the struggle to make the temple.
“Jagadguru Rambhadracharya ji has played a significant role in fulfilling one of the dreams of every citizen - the Ram temple, for which you have contributed so much, in and outside the court, is also going to be ready,” the Prime Minister said.
“Two days ago, I got the invitation from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra for the Pran Pratishta [Life Establishment] of the temple. It is a matter of great privilege for me,” he said.
The issue of Ram Temple construction has recently echoed in the political spectrum of the State that goes to polls in about 20 days.
Earlier on Thursday, M.P. Congress Committee (MPCC) president and party’s Chief Ministerial candidate Kamal Nath said that the Ram Temple belonged to every person in the country and “a huge symbol of Sanatana Dharma”.
“It belongs to every person in the country and a huge symbol of our Sanatana Dharma. And I am very happy that the Ram Temple is finally being made. Does the Ram Temple [in Ayodhya] belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party?” he had said in response to a question from reporters regarding its inauguration.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also hit out at the Congress on Friday and called its leaders “hypocrites”.
“These hypocrite people earlier used to give affidavits to say that there is no existence of Lord Ram and that he is an imaginary figure. But now that they are seeing that the nation is filled with devotion for Ram, they are becoming Ram bhakta [devotees],” he told reporters in Chhatarpur.
The PM launched three books written by Mr. Rambhadracharya.
Addressing a gathering of saints, Mr. Modi also praised Sanskrit language and said that it is not just the language of traditions but also of the country’s progress and identity.
Saying that several attempts had been made to erase India’s culture and heritage and destroy Sanskrit during a thousand years of slavery, PM Modi said, “The slave mentality which was carried forward by certain individuals resulted in a feeling of enmity towards Sanskrit. People of this mindset praise people from other countries for knowing their mother tongue but if someone knows Sanskrit, they see it as a sign of backwardness. It is not only the language of traditions, it is also the language of our progress and identity.”
“We have made wide-ranging efforts for the promotion of Sanskrit in the past nine years,” he said.
He said that several languages had vanished over the years in the world but Sanskrit is still “intact and firm”. “With time, Sanskrit got refined but not polluted,” he said, adding that several important scriptures, including in space science, have been written in Sanskrit.
Mr. Modi also said he hopes that Chitrakoot reaches new heights of development.
“Whether it is the ₹45,000 crore Ken-Betwa Link Project, Bundelkhand expressway or the defence corridor, these efforts will create new possibilities in this region,” he said.
