BENGALURU: The bhoomi puja at Ayodhya on Wednesday morning brought back memories of the kar seva for politicians involved in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the early 1990s. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who was part of the kar seva, tweeted, “There is a constant struggle behind the BJP’s commitment to build Sri Rama’s Divya and Bhagya Mandir in Sri Ramajanmabhoomi of Ayodhya and there have been tremendous sacrifices. Today, I am sharing some pictures of the days of the Karaseva...” and posted his early pictures at Ayodhya.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “Laying the foundation stone for construction of a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram will be etched forever on the hearts of people of this country.’’ Swami Nirmalananda of Adichunchanagiri Mutt, one of only two official participants from Karnataka, told The New Indian Express, “It was exalting, ecstatic and very blissful. A temple for Lord Rama at his birthplace is much appreciated.’’ The other swamiji who participated was Basavamurthy Madara Channaiah of Madara Channaiah Gurupeetha.
D H Shankara Murthy (81), former chairman of the Legislative Council, said he vividly remembers going to Ayodhya and being detained by security forces. “They pointed guns in our faces and bundled us into 14 buses and drove us to a forested area where we spent the night.” If not for the Covid pandemic, he would have been in Ayodhya, he said. Murthy has hosted many BJP leaders, from Atal Behari Vajpayee to sarsangchalaks and others at his residence in Shivamogga.
Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of former Union minister Ananth Kumar, made besan laddoos and watched the ceremony on television. For her, besan laddoos hold special significance and are a reminder of the Rath Yatra which swept Karnataka. The laddoos were meant for BJP leader L K Advani, and Ananth Kumar, who organised the Rath Yatra, ensured a steady supply of laddoos to Advani. Tejaswini also remembered that the group of BJP leaders led by Ananth Kumar to Ayodhya was stopped by at Faridabad and sent back.