Chhattisgarh CM counters Amit Shah’s claims on Ram Temple

CM Baghel also said that they did not wait for court orders to proceed with the Ram Van Gaman Path

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel File photo | Photo Credit: SANDEEP SAXENA

BHOPAL

A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Ram Temple at Ayodhya would be ready for inauguration on January 1, 2024, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel countered him and asserted that it was not the Bharatiya Janata Party but the courts that had paved the way for the construction of the temple.

“Ram Mandir is being built following the orders of the court; the Bharatiya Janata Party is not building it. A trust and an organisation were set up following the orders of the Supreme Court. Those are the ones constructing the temple, not the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Mr. Baghel told journalists when asked about Mr. Shah’s remarks in Tripura on Thursday.

The statement came hours before Mr. Shah was scheduled to address a mega rally of party workers and the public in Chhattisgarh’s Korba on Saturday. The Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are scheduled later this year, a few months after the polls in Tripura.

Ram Van Gaman tourism circuit

The assertion fit in well with Mr. Baghel’s style of politics where he tried to thwart religious polarisation by mixing religious symbolism, regional identity, traditional practices and welfare schemes since taking over as the CM in 2018. Key among them was Ram Van Gaman tourism circuit, charting the path that was said to have been taken by Lord Ram during his 14 years in exile.

“As far as making the Ram Van Gaman Path a tourist spot is concerned, the court has not given any order in this regard, but we are making it in Chhattisgarh due to our faith. We are setting up a 35-feet idol of Ram in Shivrinarayan temple, and a 51-feet Ram statue is coming up outside the Kaushalya Mata temple in Chandrakhuri,” said the Chief Minister.

‘BJP works for votes, we work for faith’

Accusing the BJP of working for votes, Mr. Baghel said that his government was guided by faith.

“We work for faith, for the tradition that we have in Chhattisgarh of worshiping Lord Ram. As Banvasi (forest dweller) Ram, Shabri’s Ram, as Kaushalya mata’s son Ram and Bhacha (nephew) Ram for our Chhattisgarh, he is at the centre of our faith,” said Mr. Baghel.