Akhilesh Yadav stakes SP claim on Lord Ram; says 'we are Ram Bhakts; will go to Ayodhya'

On Monday, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that Lord Ram belongs to Samajwadi Party and he would soon visit Ayodhya. Akhilesh Yadav added that he will worship the deity with his family members in Ayodhya. On his way to Lucknow from Azamgarh, Akhilesh Yadav took a brief break in Ayodhya and staked his party’s claim over Lord Ram. He, however, did not specify when he plans to visit Ayodhya to offer prayers to the deity. This comes at a time when UP CM Yogi Adityanath and the BJP states that they have fulfilled the decades-long promise paving the path for construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

“Lord Rama belongs to the Samajwadi Party. We are Ram Bhakts and Krishna Bhakts," Yadav told reporters.  Yadav also listed various works done by him during his government’s term for the development of the temple town.

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Among the various works done by him as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yadav listed the plantation of “Parijaat trees” along the “Prikrama Marg”, a ring road around Ayodhya on which devotees take rounds after Diwali festival. “I had also arranged lights on the banks of river Saryu and sound system at the 'Bhajan Sthal' for the worship of Lord Rama,” he said.

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Ram Temple Construction Panel Working To Finalise Building Plan: Trust Member

Meanwhile, in the first week of December, Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust members held a key meeting and a Trust member Anil Mishra told PTI that the committee along with the experts from Larsen & Toubro and Tata Consulting Engineers Limited reviewed the preparations for the construction of the shrine and also discussed its layout plan.

Dr Anil Mishra also said that as part of the meeting, the temple construction committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra also visited the site of the upcoming temple and inspected it along with the experts and the members of the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust and the building experts from the two firms. The Trust members who visited the site included its secretary Champat Rai and trustees Govind Dev Giri and Anil Mishra.

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PM Modi lays foundation stone

Fulfilling the three-decade-long Ram Janmabhoomi movement, PM Narendra Modi performed the Bhumi Pujan ceremony at the Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya on August 5, placing a metallic plaque at the base of the temple site. A week after PM Modi laid the foundation for the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi, the Trust informed that construction has commenced. Taking to Twitter, trust's general secretary Champat Rai urged people to donate generously for building the temple.

L&T, which has been chosen to construct the two-storeyed temple, has been soil sampling. The temple comprising of Sompura Marble will - span 161ft in length, 140ft in width, and 128 ft in height, and have of 5 domes. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023. 

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