Assam CM urges Rahul Gandhi to not visit this shrine during Ram temple event
The chief minister further said that the Congress leader could visit the shrine after the pran-pratishtha ceremony is over.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday appealed to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in the northeastern state for his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, not to visit Batadrava Satra, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva on the day of pran-pratishtha (consecration ceremony) of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.
''We will request Rahul Gandhi not to visit Batadrava on Monday during the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple as it will reflect Assam in the wrong light,'' news agency PTI quoted Sarma who was addressing a press conference in Guwahati.
Citing the reason that there can be no competition between Lord Ram and the medieval-age Vaishnav saint, the chief minister further said that the Congress leader could visit the shrine after the pran-pratishtha ceremony is over without creating “unnecessary competition, which would be sad for Assam'.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit and offer prayers at the Batadrava Satra on Monday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be presiding over the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.
Srimanta Sankardeva, an Assamese saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet, playwright, is revered as an icon and a towering figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam.
On the grand old party's yatra route and security, Sarma said that several commandos and security officials would be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-populous regions in the state. For Monday, the party has chosen a route through “sensitive areas” of Morigaon, Jagiroad and Nellie which could have been avoided, the chief minister said.
''These areas are sensitive and I cannot discount any law and order situation arising and as such commandos will be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-dominated areas to be taken by Rahul Gandhi's Yatra on January 22,'' he said.
District Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of these areas have been directed to increase patrolling and maintain a strict vigil, Sarma added.
Meanwhile, Sarma has declared a holiday on Monday for all educational institutions, including government schools, colleges, and universities, on the occasion of the pran-pratishtha ceremony. He also urged the private educational institutions to remain closed tomorrow. Additionally, he announced the dry day and closure of wine shops for the entire day and the closure of meat, fish shops, and markets till 4pm tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the temple town is fully prepared for tomorrow's pran-pratishtha ceremony. Several events and rituals have been lined up for the consecration ceremony including a musical event titled ‘Mangal Dhwani’. PM Modi will attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He will perform the rituals in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Temple at around 12.30 pm.
The seven-day rituals that started on January 16 will be completed tomorrow with the consecration of Lord Ram Lalla in the temple. Chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra said the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram will be completed by 12:30 pm and the devotees can be able to have a 'darshan' from January 23.
Standing on 2.7 acres of land in the temple town, the Ram Mandir is constructed in the traditional Nagara style as a three-storied shrine, measuring 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width, and 161 feet in height. It has a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. It features five Mandaps (halls) -- Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prarthna and Kirtan Mandap.
(With inputs from agencies)
