The consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya has increased the pressure on a dozen officers from State Bank of India (SBI) in the temple town as on weekdays, their destination is not their branch office but the outpost that has come up at the temple complex. Every morning, the bank officials gather at the outpost to account for each rupee that comes into donation boxes as an offering to the deity and work in two shifts. Since the consecration, the temple is seeing a surge in donations, coming online, through cash and cheques. In 30 days, the devotees have offered around 10 kg of gold, 25 kg of silver ornaments and Rs 25 crores in cash.
Smriti Irani holds house warming event in Amethi
Union minister and BJP MP from Amethi, Smriti Irani and her husband Zubin Irani performed the rituals of griha-pravesh (house warming) at their new residence in the town. Smriti had wrested the Lok Sabha seat from Rahul Gandhi in 2019. The occasion comes months ahead of the Lok Sabha election 2024 in which Amethi may witness another high-octane fight as the Congress has not given up hopes on Amethi and has bagged it in seat-sharing deal with INDIA bloc ally SP. In 2019, Smriti had promised to have a permanent address in Amethi if she got elected.
Changing tones of Varun Gandhi
Varun Gandhi, the BJP MP from Pilibhit, a prominent seat of Terai region of Uttar Pradesh with dominant Sikh community, is humming a different tune nowadays. Gandhi, who had not been sparing a single opportunity to slam Modi government at the Centre and Yogi government in UP, tossing up even the minutest grains of condemnation of his own party’s dispensations emerging as a ray of hope for the BJP bashers, is gradually changing the hues as the Lok Sabha polls are drawing closer. He is reposting the PM’s posts and recently heaped praises on him for upgradation of Pilibhit Railway station in Amrit Kaal.
Namita Bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh
namita.bajpai@newindianexpress.com