The COVID-19 crisis in the country will disappear with the blessings of Lord Ram, the Shiv Sena said on Tuesday. An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamana , took a dig at the August 5 ceremony being held amid rising COVID-19 cases. “There is no other golden moment like the one when Prime Minister Modi performs the bhoomi pujan at Ayodhya,” the party said, adding, “Coronavirus is there, but will disappear with Lord Ram’s blessings.”
‘Key leaders absent’
L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, key leaders associated with the Ram temple campaign, will witness the ceremony via video conferencing from Delhi, the editorial noted. They were advised not to attend the ceremony in view of their age and COVID-19 outbreak in Ayodhya, it said.
Uma Bharti, another prominent leader involved in the campaign, will also not be present at the ceremony and will instead watch it “from the banks of the Sarayu river through the eyes of her mind”, the Sena said.
There is excitement in the country in view of the bhoomi pujan ceremony, the party said. “Coronavirus has spread in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh and the entire country. This crisis, too, will fade away with the blessings of Lord Ram,” the editorial added.
The responsibility of security arrangements in Ayodhya was with the Union Home Ministry, but it is unfortunate that Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive for COVID-19, it said, adding that despite the presence of the Prime Minister, the RSS chief, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and others, the ceremony will be lacklustre without Mr. Shah, the Sena said.
