For the first time since the Supreme Court's 2019 Ram Janmabhoomi verdict, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda reached Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, 15 December.
Nadda, who was in Lucknow after attending the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was accompanied by chief ministers and deputy chief ministers from BJP-ruled states.
On reaching Ayodhya, the BJP chief said, "It was heart's desire that a grand Ram Temple be built. It's a matter of joy that the dream of crores of Indians are being realised. After the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a meeting of CMs was held. All of us wanted to have a darshan of Ram Lalla."
He added, "We also wanted to review the grand temple that is being built. CMs keep meeting from time to time. Since everyone had come to Kashi they wanted to visit Ram Lalla."
The Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case on 9 November 2019, giving ownership of the 2.77 acre of disputed land in Ayodhya to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, while simultaneously ordering that five acres of land be provided to the Sunni Waqf Board for building of a mosque.
On 5 August 2020, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Tripura CM Biplab Deb, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu, Manipur CM N Biren Singh, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, and Bihar Deputy CM Renu Devi also reached the city.
The BJP chief and other leaders visited the Hanumangarhi temple first, followed by a visit to the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.
"Fortunate to have darshan of Ram Lalla once again. For the first time after the construction (of Ram Temple) began, we have got an opportunity to come here. We'll pray for everyone to stay healthy. A prosperous India is being built under PM's leadership," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was quoted as saying by IANS.
After visiting the under-construction temple, Assam Chief Minister Himanata Biswa Sarma said, "We have got darshan of Ram Lalla. I feel fortunate...Hindu is not an agenda; it is our life. So, where is the agenda? We are Hindus."
This comes a day after Modi chaired a meeting with CMs of BJP-ruled states in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, where Nadda was also present.
The BJP president’s visit comes ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh in early 2022.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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