NEW DELHI: Terming the Supreme Court verdict on Ram temple as a reflection of India’s secular character, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took all sections of the society along on the Ram temple issue.
The minister made the remarks during a discussion in Lok Sabha on the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the consecration ceremony on January 22.
Shah said January 22 marked the beginning of the journey of a great India. He added that people’s struggle to construct the Ram temple began in 1528 and the legal battle started in 1858.
The home minister said that in no other country had the majority community waited for so long for a matter related to its faith. “Critics used to mock the BJP over its promises alleging that they were driven by electoral promises. We have fulfilled all our promises, such as banning triple talaq and abrogation of Article 370. The BJP and its leader Modi do what they say,” Shah said.
The journey that started on January 22 will be carried forward, he said, adding that the Modi government will come back to power in 2024 after the general elections.
Hitting out at the BJP government, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that violence against the backward castes still continues under its rule.
“Today, the backward castes are demanding a population census because they are seeing that they are not getting any benefits. They are not getting admissions in universities,” Gogoi said.
The Congress and the BJP exchanged barbs after Gogoi pointed out that Rahul Gandhi was denied entry into the Batadrava Satra shrine in Assam, the birthplace of saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva.
The Congress leader said that though BJP speak about Ram, their actions are filled with “hatred and anger”.
“Will the BJP distribute certificates of religion? Will they decide who will visit temples? Is Pran Pratishtha a matter of TRP?” Gogoi asked.
The MP said that Congress believes in secularism but distances itself from the “Western definition” of the word. “India is a religious country. We believe in the equality of all religions, not just any one scripture,” he said.
He also warned the ruling BJP that they should shun the path of Nathuram Godse.