News Analysis India

Tag: Ayodhya

  • Republic Day parade: UP tableau displaying replica of Ram temple wins award

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh’s tableau at this year’s Republic Day parade was adjudged the best and awarded by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, said the Defence Ministry.

    In total 32 tableaux — 17 from state and union territories, nine from Union ministries, departments and paramilitary forces, and six from the Defence ministry — were part of this year’s parade on Rajpath.

    The theme of Uttar Pradesh’s tableau was ‘Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh’.

    The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, replica of a Ram temple, glimpse of ‘Deepotsav’ and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.

    “The tableau of Tripura was adjudged the second best. It depicted promotion of eco-friendly tradition for achieving self-reliance (aatmanirbhar) in socio-economic parameters,” the Defence ministry’s statement noted.

    Uttarakhand’s tableau on the theme ‘Dev Bhoomi — The Land of the Gods’ was adjudged third among the states and union territories, it mentioned.

    The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme ‘Amar Jawan’, bagged a special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the armed forces, the defence ministry noted.

    Rijiju gave the award of best cultural performance to the children of Mount Abu Public School and Vidya Bharti School Rohini, Delhi, it said.

  • Nod to Ayodhya Ram Temple foundation design soon

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: On a day the work on the foundation of the sanctum sanctorum of Ram Temple in Ayodhya started amid chanting of mantras, the Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust began its two-day meeting to give the final nod to the blueprint of the design of both the foundation and the proposed temple complex.

    Former IAS officer and the construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra reached Ayodhya on Wednesday evening, and headed the talks at the Vishwamitra Ashram on Ram Janmabhoomi premises on Thursday. 

    Sources said that engineers presented a design conforming to the ancient style of construction. Highly-placed sources claimed that while the committee would approve the final design of the temple foundation during the ongoing meetings, in principle, it was approved earlier.

  • UP: Municipal workers hold protests against alleged demand of Ram Temple donation 

    By PTI
    SHAHJAHANPUR: Sanitation workers of Jalalabad Nagar Palika here held a demonstration in the municipality premises, alleging that a civic body’s inspector has been coercing them to donate Rs 100 each for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

    A sanitary workers’ leader, identified as Prem Prakash Valmiki, alleged in video footage on social media that a sanitary inspector has threatened them to mark absent from work if they do not donate for the temple.

    When contacted, Valmiki reiterated the allegation saying that the employees cannot afford to donate because their salaries are very low.

    When asked, Nagar Palika’s Executive Officer Dayashankar Verma said all workers reporting to work have been marked present.

    “It’s up to the individual whether to donate. No donation has been sought at the government level,” he said.

  • Bengal Governor donates Rs 5,00,001 for construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife on Thursday donated Rs 5,00,001 for construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

    A Raj Bhavan statement said a signed cheque was handed over to a team of the VHP and RSS, adding, the donation was made in their personal capacity.

    All India Working President of VHP Alok Kumar flew from Delhi to Kolkata this morning and called on the governor, leading a seven-member delegation.

    The donation was made in the name of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, which has been mandated to collect funds for the temple, Dhankhar said in the statement.

    He also termed the construction of the Ram Mandir as an epochal development.

    “The fact that it is in pursuance to the unanimous verdict of the highest court of the largest democracy in the world, is a tribute to richness and resilience of our age old ethos and civilisation.

    The intent and spirit of donation, rather than the amount, is all important,” the statement said.

  • Lord Ram’s banners taken away in garbage vehicle in Aurangabad, alleges BJP

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: The BJP has approached the police here in Maharashtra seeking action against some contractors appointed by Aurangabad civic body claiming that they have removed banners of Lord Ram and carried them in a garbage collection vehicle.

    Local leaders of the BJP alleged that these banners appealing donation for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya were installed in Hindu Rashtra Chowk, Malhar chowk and other parts of the city.

    The banners were removed by the contractors appointed for garbage collection work by the city municipal corporation, and were taken in a vehicle which is used for garbage collection, the BJP said in its complaint application.

    “Nothing provocative was mentioned on these banners which would have created any controversy,” the BJP leaders said in a memorandum.

    They said this action of the civic administration has hurt feelings of citizens.

    When contacted, Pundalik Nagar police station Assistant Inspector Ghanshyam Sonawane confirmed to PTI that the complaint application has been received.

    “Facts will be checked and action will be taken as per guidance of higher officials,” he said.

  • Gujarat businessman donates Rs 11 crore for Ram temple construction in Ayodhya

    By ANI
    GANDHINAGAR: A Gujarat businessman on Sunday donated Rs 11 crore for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

    Govind Dholakiya is a businessman from Surat who owns SRK Diamond company.

    “Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are our Ishta Devata (a term used in Hinduism denoting a worshipper’s favourite deity) This is the reason that we named our company Sri Ram Krishna Export that later own became SRK. So our family thought that when our Ishta Devata’s temple is being built after over 500 years, we should definitely make a contribution,” he told ANI.

    “God does not need it, he himself is wealthy. But whatever power God has granted us, we should do something out of it. Our family thought a lot about the amount and finally decided to dedicate Rs 11 crore. The almighty has given us in abundance, therefore we decided to dedicate the amount in the honour of God,” he said.

    President Kovind had on Friday donated Rs 5,00,100 as a contribution towards the construction of Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

    Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust is conducting a mass contact and contribution campaign for the construction of the grand temple in Ayodhya which began on January 15 and will go on till February 27.

    The temple will be built by adhering to the country’s ancient and traditional construction techniques. It will also be built in a manner to sustain earthquakes, storms, and other natural calamities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ayodhya on August 5 to attend the ‘Bhoomi pujan’ at the Ram Janmbhoomi site.

  • Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra starts VHP’s fundraising campaign for Arodhya’s Ram temple

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has made a financial contribution for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, beginning a Vishva Hindu Parishad fundraising campaign in the state for the upcoming shrine, a VHP statement said on Wednesday.

    Mishra gave the donation during a meeting with the VHP’s state functionaries here in the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, the statement said.

    Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday opened an office here in Mansarovar locality of the city for spearheading the fundraising campaign for the Ayodhya temple.

    The office was inaugurated by RSS national executive member Durga Das, a Hindutva outfit release said.

    During the inauguration of the office, a sum of Rs 30 lakh was raised for the construction of the temple by the contribution of 20 people, it added.

    Das said during the fundraising campaign, about 70 crore people are expected to contribute to the cause.

    He said the Ayodhya’s Ram temple precincts to be built on 108 acres of land will have many major attractions including a museum, satsang auditorium, langar hall, research centre, convention hall and ‘yagyashala’.

  • Prabhat Pheri pulled out of Rajatlab before fundraising for Ram temple construction

    Since the decision in favor of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the preparations for the construction of Ram temple have started with the noise. Various parties have started contributing in their own way to build the Ram temple. In the capital Raipur, joint Hindu organizations took out Prabhat Ferrians in many places and requested people for fundraising. In the same episode, Prabhat Pheri was taken out with pomp on Sunday in Rajatlab of the capital and appealed to people to cooperate for the construction of the temple. The program was attended mainly by Vishwa Hindu Parishad co-convenor Ghanshyam Chaudhary, former councilor Yogendra Verma, former councilor Sunil Chaudhary, Shekhar Dhankar, Dabboo Nirmalkar, Mukesh Tandi and residents of the ward.

  • Babri demolition case: 2 Ayodhya residents move petition challenging acquittal of all 32 accused

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Two Ayodhya residents moved a revision petition in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Friday, challenging the order of the special CBI court which had acquitted all 32 accused, including former deputy PM LK Advani and other BJP leaders, in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

    The Special CBI judge SK Yadav had delivered the order in the Babri Masjid demolition case on September 30, 2020, his last day in office. The mosque was demolished by a mob of karsewaks on December 6, 1992.

    Two Ayodhya residents, Haji Mahboob (74) and Sayyad Akhlaq Ahmad (81), who were also parties in the Ayodhya title suit in the Supreme Court and CBI witnesses in the mosque demolition case, moved the petition on behalf of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) claiming that they were both witnesses and victims in the case pertaining to the demolition of the disputed structure.

    They urged the High Court to summon the records from the trial court, hold all the 32 accused guilty and extend suitable punishment to them, setting aside the order of the special CBI court.

    The revision petition was filed in the registry of the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Friday and it would be placed for hearing before the concerned bench on its rotation.

    Prominent among those who were exonerated by the court in the mosque demolition case included former Union minister Dr MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, the then UP CM Kalyan Singh, Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Ritambhara and Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

    Representing the two petitioners in the court, senior lawyer and convenor of Babri Masjid Action Committee Zafaryab Jilani said that the two have filed the revision against the September 30, 2020 judgment of the special CBI court because the prosecuting agency did not file any appeal so far to challenge the verdict.

    Contrary to the observations of the trial court, the revision petitioners pleaded that the trial court committed an error in not convicting the accused persons whereas ample evidence against them was on record. “The special trial judge did not appreciate the evidence of conspiracy in right perspective,” alleged the petitioners .

    In fact, while delivering the verdict in the demolition case, the trial judge had refused to believe newspaper cuttings and video clips as evidence as the originals of the same were not produced by the prosecuting agency CBI. However, the entire case was built up on those pieces of documentary evidence. The trial judge also held that the CBI could not produce any evidence that the accusedhad a meeting of minds with karsewaks who had demolished the structure.

  • Indore model: Ayodhya partners with IIM to turn Ram’s birthplace into eco-friendly spiritual tourism destination

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: India’s cleanest city and Madhya Pradesh’s economic capital Indore will inspire the transformation of Uttar Pradesh’s religious city Ayodhya into a top eco-friendly international spiritual tourism destination.

    In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Indian Institute of Indore (IIM-I) has partnered with the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation (AMC) to draw an action plan for transforming Ayodhya – the birthplace of Lord Ram – into the world’s top eco-friendly spiritual tourism destination in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has recently been inked between the IIM-Indore Director Prof Himanshu Rai and Ayodhya’s Municipal Commissioner Vishal Singh as the starting point for the partnership.

    As per the MoU, the detailed action plan will include replication of best practices of the Indore model of cleanliness in the AMC, Ayodhya with special enhancements for maintaining cleanliness standards as an international spiritual tourism destination.

    It will also entail drafting a plan for implementation of information, education and communication (IEC) as per the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) program. Also, organizing training/capacity building program for AMC employees as well as organizing training programs in Project Management and best practices for public officials of AMC.

    The three years IIM-I and AMC partnership will also define new areas of collaboration that have not been foreseen, but can be beneficial to the institutions.

    Confirming the development to The New Indian Express on Thursday, Ayodhya’s municipal commissioner Vishal Singh said, “With IIM-I being one of the best management institutions to the country with a diverse team of best management brains, we approached them for the partnership. We expect that this tie-up will render the transfer of best practices of Indore to Ayodhya, as Indore has been a pioneer in the country in making cleanliness and sanitation a signal achievement with the help of proactive public participation.”

    “Also, since the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation (AMC) is the governing body of the city of Ayodhya and former Faizabad, the partnership with IIM-Indore will help in the professionalized capacity building of the Corporation. The prime and ultimate motive of the tie-up is to develop as the world’s top eco-friendly spiritual destination,” Singh added.

    According to IIM-Indore Director Prof Himanshu Rai, “Work has already begun for making a detailed action plan to develop birthplace of Lord Ram Ayodhya as the most wondrous and clean spiritual tourism destination in the world. Ingraining the focal points of Indore’s success as India’s cleanest city will form an important part of entire exercise.  We’ll first start working on information, education and communication facets of the SBM.”

    Importantly, it will be Prof Himanshu Rai only, who would head the five-member team on the project. The other management experts in the team, include Prof Ganesh N (Economics), Prof Prashant Salwan (Strategy and International Business), Dr Shruti Tewari (Associate Professor and trained social psychologist) and Prof Aditya Deshbandhu (specialist in new media studies and emerging field of game studies).