After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Dasara address in Lucknow, which began with a robust chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, his Cabinet colleagues too are leaving no stone unturned in invoking Lord Rama in the run up to the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma will be travelling to Ayodhya on Tuesday to identify land for the building of a museum dedicated to Lord Rama and will also pay obeisance at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. Part of his itinerary will include meeting the mahants of various akharas , many of whom have been a part of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyaas.
Three pilgrim circuits “As Minister for Tourism and Culture, we had identified three pilgrimage circuits to be developed: the Buddhist Circuit, the Ramayana circuit and the Krishna Circuit, where sites related to these deities and pilgrimages associated with them would be developed. The Ramayana Circuit has been allotted a budget of Rs. 225 crores, of which Ayodhya alone will account for Rs. 151 [crore], including the construction of a museum and an interpretation centre,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu .
“When I go to Ayodhya, I will be offering prayers at the Ram Lalla temple. It is a matter of faith for me, and I will pay my respects to the various akharas as well,” he said.
Significantly, the other two spots in Uttar Pradesh on the Ramayana Circuit that are being allotted funds are Chitrakoot (Rs. 43 crores), and Shringverpur in Phulpur (Rs. 23 crores). Both are very significant in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) game plan.
Chitrakoot is associated with Goswami Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramcharitmanas , and also Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh, who had built a Centre for Rural Development under the aegis of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Institute. Shringverpur, situated in the BJP state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya’s Lok Sabha constituency of Phulpur, is important as the erstwhile capital of the Nishad Raja or king of Nishads, the boatman community, who helped Rama cross the Sarayu river in the Ramayana . “All of these are important symbols in the BJP campaign that wants a larger Hindutva support base, especially including backward communities,” said a senior party leader from the State.
Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too will be visiting the State before Diwali, and is in talks for a road project in the area. The party will begin its four yatras or road shows from November 5, with nearly eight rallies by the PM peppering the route.
“With the surgical strikes, our cadre, which had been a bit shaken after the events in Una and the controversy over former State vice-president Daya Shankar Singh’s comments [against BSP chief Mayawati], is more optimistic,” said a senior party leader.
