News Analysis India

Tag: ramayan

  • LS polls: Actor Arun Govil files nomination as BJP candidate from Meerut

    Veteran actor Arun Govil of TV serial ‘Ramayan’ fame on Tuesday filed nomination as the BJP candidate from Meerut Lok Sabha seat. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was present with Govil during the nomination.

    After filing his nomination, Govil said that he wanted to thank the BJP leadership for trusting him and making him a candidate from Meerut.

    Govil said he is getting massive public support. “Arun Govil has filed his nomination papers today. There is tremendous confidence among the workers and the people that BJP will achieve the target of winning all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 400 seats in the entire country,” Dy CM said.

    The actor, who became a household name after essaying the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s “Ramayan”, was on March 24 fielded by the BJP from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat.

    Replying to a question about which party BJP sees as its rival, Maurya said, “According to us, there is no one in competition.” “There is no opposition anywhere. There is a tussle among SP, BSP and Congress. Our preparations are from 2024 to 2047 (when UP state assembly elections are to be held),” he said.

  • Will stop Ramayan train if saffron dress code of waiters not withdrawn, say seers in Ujjain

    By PTI

    UJJAIN: Objecting to the saffron attire of waiters on board the Ramayan Express, seers from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Monday said it was an insult to Hindu religion and threatened to stop the train in Delhi on December 12 if this dress code is not withdrawn.

    “We have written a letter two days back to the Union Railway Minister lodging our protest against waiters serving refreshments and food in the Ramayan Express in saffron. Donning saffron attire with a sadhu-like headgear and wearing malas (necklaces) of rudraksha is an insult to the Hindu religion and its seers,” Ujjain Akhada Parishad’s former general secretary Avdeshpuri told PTI.

    He said seers will stop the train at Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station if the saffron dress code of the waiters is not changed.

    “We will sit on the railway tracks. This is necessary for protecting the Hindu religion. We have taken a strong view of this issue in Ujjain,” he added.

    Ujjain city, where Shree Mahakaleshwar temple of Lord Shiva is located, hosts Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years.

    The country’s first Ramayan circuit train chugged off on a 17-day journey from the Safdarjung railway station on November 7.

    This train visits 15 places associated with the life of Lord Ram.

    Covering a distance of more than 7,500 km, the train will take the pilgrims to places such as Ayodhya, Prayag, Nandigram, Janakpur, Chitrakoot, Sitamarhi, Nasik, Hampi and Rameshwaram.

    The Ramayan Express is equipped with first-class restaurants, library and shower cubicles.

  • Actor Arun Govil, Lord Ram of TV show ‘Ramayan’, joins BJP

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Days before assembly polls begin in West Bengal and three other states, actor Arun Govil, who played the role of Lord Ram in the famous TV serial Ramayan, joined the BJP on Thursday, saying his decision was triggered by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee ‘s “irritation” to the chant of Jai Shri Ram.

    Govil joined the BJP in the presence of its general secretary Arun Singh and Union Minister Debasree Chaudhuri after the party announced the names of 148 candidates for the West Bengal assembly polls.

    “West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s irritation to Jai Shri Ram was a trigger point for me to join the BJP. And there is nothing wrong in saying Jai Shri Ram. It is not a slogan, not even a political slogan. It is a way of life for us, it represents our culture and ethos,” he told the media at the BJP headquarters here.

    Govil, who essayed the role of Lord Ram on Ramanand Sagar’s superhit 1987 series Ramayan, also said the BJP will give him a “platform” to do his bit to serve the nation.

    The phrase ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is being widely used and heard at BJP rallies and events in poll-bound West Bengal, where the party has emerged as the main opponent to the ruling TMC and is aiming to form its government this year.

    Govil, 63, has acted in films in several languages including Hindi and Bhojpuri.

    The multi-phased elections to West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry will end on April 29 and the results will be announced on May 2.

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