On Tuesday (2nd January), Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated a Ram Rath in Mumbai. The chariot made for visiting people from door to door calling them to celebrate the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya at their respective local places is commissioned by BJP leader Shweta Shalini. In a media interaction on this occasion, Devendra Fadnavis said that he is a proud Karsevak and has attended all three Karsevas for Ram Mandir.
Fadnavis said that he is proud that he was present in Ayodhya when the disputed structure at Ram Janmabhoomi was being demolished. He said that the blot imposed by Babur on the Indian culture is now removed.
Devendra Fadnavis said, “We all know that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will be consecrated on 22nd January. The whole of India is currently riding on the Ram Wave. And not everyone can go to Ayodhya at this moment. But everyone wishes to have some form of Darshan of the Shri Ram Mandir. Therefore, this ‘Ram Rath’ (Ram Chariot) has been prepared here in Mumbai. I congratulate Shweta Shalini for making this beautiful Ram Rath. Rohit Shetty, myself and Girish Mahajan are here to inaugurate this Ram Rath. We will flag off this Ram Rath, just after the Puja rituals are done. This Ram Rath will go to people from door to door. People who cannot go to Ayodhya will get a Darshan of Ram Darbar in this Rath.”
He added, “Lord Shri Ram is for everyone including those who believe in him and those who don’t. Nobody is stopped from believing in him. You can worship Shri Ram. This is a very important occasion. After 500 years of struggle in the country, the temple of Lord Shri Ram is being built. We are working to remove the stigma that Babur had imposed on us. The idol of Lord Ram, who is revered by this country, will be in the temple. So, doing politics on this occasion is of a very low standard. This is the time when all differences should be forgotten and hands should be folded before Rama and see how the entire country will become congruent with Ram.”
🕗 7.55pm | 2-1-2024 📍 Mumbai | संध्या. ७.५५ वा. | २-१-२०२४ 📍 मुंबई.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 2, 2024
LIVE | Media interaction.#Maharashtra #Mumbai #RamMandir https://t.co/25Q0u0CmOK
Sharing about the celebrations of the consecration ceremony in all the temples of Maharashtra, he said, “It is apt to perform puja rituals in 150000 temples in the state on the consecration day because very few people can go to Ayodhya on that day. For us, wherever there is a temple, our Ram Ji will be there. For us, wherever there is a temple, our Ayodhya Ji is there. So, we will get the Darshan of Lord Ram in our Ayodhya that we see in those temples. And this is not only in Maharashtra. There would not be any temple in the country where there would not be a celebration of the consecration ceremony of the Shri Ram Janamabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya. We will celebrate it everywhere. I think it should be celebrated in every state in Maharashtra and the whole country.”
Devendra Fadnavis also shared his experience about the Karseva and the demolition of the disputed structure on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi on 6th December 1992. He said, “I don’t care about the people who criticised us for the disputed Babri structure demolition incident because they are the ones who were hiding in their houses at the time of Karseva. None of them went for a Karseva. Why should I talk about them? We are Karsevaks and we are proud of that. I attended all the three Karsevas. I was even jailed in Badaun. I am very proud to share that I was there in Ayodhya when that disputed structure which was a blot on us was razed to the ground. Some people are jealous of us because they did not go there at that time. They were afraid and sitting safely inside their houses. So, why should I answer to the criticism of such people?”
Devendra Fadnavis further said, “The temple of Lord Shri Ram is a temple of faith and identity of the country. This occasion is not about any one party or ideology. This festival belongs to the entire country, to every Hindu person in the country, to everyone who believes in Indian culture in the country – irrespective of which religion they belong to. Because the blot imposed on the Indian culture is now gone. It’s about re-establishing our identity. Those who do politics over it have a small acumen. I don’t want to answer their little acumen. It’s everyone’s occasion. Every person who thinks I am an Indian, who thinks I am a Hindu, who thinks that I have won a battle for identity, will celebrate this festival.”
The consecration of the Shri Ram Mandir on the Shri Ram Janambhoomi in Ayodhya will take place on 22nd January 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the Puja rituals on this occasion and establish the idol of Lord Ram in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir on this occasion.
