Vijay Rupani. (File)
The Gujarat government on Wednesday passed a resolution congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the achievement of laying the foundation stone for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Sweets were distributed among ministers and top bureaucrats present to celebrate the occasion.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani watched the foundation stone laying ceremony live from the CM Dashboard at his official bungalow. In a video message, the CM said that the foundation stone laying ceremony will be recorded in golden words in the history. “Five centuries of penance and faith have materialised today with the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Ram Lalla’s temple.This will also realise the slogan, ‘Saugandh Ram ki Khate Hain, Mandir Wahi Banayenge (We swear by Lord Ram that we will build the temple there only)’,” said Rupani.
Rupani recollected important events such as worshipping of the first brick for the temple by Pamukh Swami Maharaj of Swaminarayan Sect in 1989 and the nationwide Rath Yatra initiated in 1990 by veteran BJP leader LK Advani with a pledge to build a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Rupani also gave complete credit for the occasion to “two sons of Gujarat” — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah — right from the November 19, 2019, when the Supreme Court announced its decision on the issue, till Wednesday.
“Had there not been the current corona pandemic, the foundation stone laying ceremony would have been the biggest religious gathering in the world,” Rupani said.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel visited the headquarters of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Ahmedabad to perform puja of Bharat Mata. Patel said that while the credit for the renovation of Somnath temple goes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the credit for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya will go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He called the foundation stone laying ceremony as the fulfillment of a “500-year-old dream”.
The Dy CM also recalled contribution of veteran RSS-VHP leaders such as KK Shastri, Amrut Kadivala, Ashok Singhal and Dr Vanikar. Patel also termed veteran BJP leader LK Advani’s Rath Yatra and sacrifice of hundreds of kar sevaks as significant landmarks in fulfilling the dream of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Senior leaders of the VHP and RSS, including Amrut Kadiwala, Dilip Trivedi and Ashok Raval, were present. A few kar sevaks and family members of some kar sevaks who lost their lives were felicitated on the occasion.
The state BJP headquarters, Shree Kamalam, was decked up with a rangoli on the theme of Lord Ram and Ram Temple in the courtyard. A bhajan mandali recited live bhajans and the Ayodhya event was telecast on a huge LED screen. Senior BJP leaders, including Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, Jitu Vaghani, IK Jadeja, Gordhan Zadaphia and Kirit Solanki, watched the live streaming.
Prime Minister’s mother Hira Ba also witnessed the historic occasion live on television. Gujarat governor, Acharya Devvrat, also celebrated the occasion by lighting diyas at Raj Bhavan along with his wife.
Meanwhile, Dr Pravin Togadia, one of the former VHP leaders who was at the centre of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was nowhere near the scene of action on Wednesday. At home in Ahmedabad, Togadia who founded the Antarashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) after quitting the VHP in 2018, said, “This is a great victory for the Hindu society and it will consolidate into Hindu Unity much more in the coming future.”
When asked about his role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Togadia said, “I am happy that I have been associated with this movement from the beginnning… Now we will focus on Mathura and Kashi to fight jihadi activities and for a prosperous Hindu Bharat.”