Hindu outfits in state celebrate bhoomi puja for Ram temple

Coimbatore: The state on Wednesday saw Hindu outfits celebrating the bhoomi puja for Ram temple and Muslim organizations protesting the move. Security was tightened at all the places of worship to avoid any untoward incidents. Several Hindu outfit leaders termed it a historical day.
Isha Yoga Centre founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said in a statement that Ayodhya Ram temple was not just another temple. “It is a resurrection of India’s spirit, because it is not just one particular denomination or religion that looks up to Rama. There’s a whole lot of people from other religions who want to emulate him.”
Referring to Rama as an icon and not god, he said, “God means he’s beyond emulation. So, it’s extremely important that he is a man.”
Hindu outfits members also distributed sweets to the public. In Trichy, Ram temples at Ponmalaipatti, Edamalaipattiputhur and a few other places were given police protection. In Madurai and Coimbatore too, police were deployed at temples and other public places.
In Kanyakumari district, the BJP performed a special yagna in a Ganesh temple at Velladichivilai in Nagecroil. Party cadres burst crackers soon after the pooja in Ayodhya and gave away sweets to public.
Meanwhile, members of Muslim outfits staged protests in various places. In Tirupur, cadres of Social Democratic Party of India staged a protest, demanding that the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya should be stopped.
Kovai Islamia Kootaimappu, a federation of Islamic outfits in Coimbatore, said though they were disappointed by the Supreme Court verdict allowing construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the haste of Centre in enforcing the verdict has come as a greater cause for concern. “While we believe that peace and unity should prevail in the country, we also call for firm legal action against those who demolished the Babri Masjid,” it said in a statement.