Ram Temple's groundbreaking ceremony: Preparations underway, Modi invited to Ayodhya
The Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, wants to create a spectacle of the groundbreaking ceremony, scheduled for August 5 and has started preparations for the same. As part of the plan, huge CCTV screens have been installed across the temple city to help devotees watch the event. An invitation has also been extended to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Here are more details.
Background: An old case reached its climax last year
Evidently, a 2.77 acres plot birthed one of the most crucial cases of India. In 2010, the Allahabad High Court ordered splitting the land among three claimants — Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhada, and Sunni Waqf Board. Unhappy, they approached the Supreme Court, whose five-judge bench ordered the temple's construction at the disputed land. Meanwhile, Muslims got 5 acres of land for the mosque.
SC had asked Centre to form trust for temple's construction
In its historic 2019 verdict, the top court ordered the Centre, led by BJP, to form a trust for the temple's construction within three months. Subsequently, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra was given the responsibility of the temple. Now, after a delay due to coronavirus and the restrictions that followed, the trust decided to hold the groundbreaking ceremony in August.
Before main ceremony, other rituals will be held
A report in PTI said three-day long Vedic rituals will be held before the final ceremony begins on August 3. Nritya Gopal Das, the president of the trust, informed that a 40-kg silver brick will be placed at the sanctum. The trust said it was readying for the event while keeping coronavirus-induced precautions in mind. Notably, UP has 49,247 cases and 1,146 deaths.
Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti invited for the event
Further, over 50 VIPs will be attending the event. The trust has invited top BJP leaders, who were closely involved with the Ram Janmbhoomi movement of the 80s, as well. They include BJP veterans LK Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and high-profile leaders like Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, and Sadhvi Ritambhara. PM Modi has been invited but his office is yet to confirm his attendance.
PM Modi expected on August 5
"I cannot tell the exact date but we have got information that the PM Modi's visit has been tentatively scheduled for August 5," Triloki Nath Pandey, a member of the trust, was quoted by NDTV.
After assuming office, PM Modi surprisingly never visited makeshift temple
If PM Modi attends the function, it would be his first visit to the temple since coming to office in 2014. In the last as well as the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, he skipped visiting the makeshift temple, much to the disdain of saints and seers. This, despite the fact that constructing the Ram Temple was one of the core promises of BJP.
During maiden visit, PM Modi could announce some projects
As per the trust's members, PM Modi is likely to announce a slew of projects during his visit to Ayodhya. Some of the projects that are in the pipeline include an extension of the already existing airport, a township called New Ayodhya spread over 500 acres, a Central package of Rs. 133 crore, and Rs. 122 crore for laying overhead electricity cables underground.
