Bhumi pujan in Ayodhya will establish self-confidence for making India self-reliant: Bhagwat

The ground breaking ceremony of a Ram temple in Ayodhya has spread joy across the country and will establish the self confidence needed for making India self-reliant, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said.

The ground breaking ceremony of a Ram temple in Ayodhya has spread joy across the country and will establish the self confidence needed for making India self-reliant, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said. Recalling the three-decade-old struggle of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its ideological family members for the construction of the temple, he hailed the contribution of veteran BJP leader LK Advani, late VHP president Ashok Singhal and Mahant Ramchandra Das Paramhans. There are many people who worked hard and some even sacrificed their lives for the temple, many may not be here physically, Bhagwat said remembering Singhal and spiritual face of the temple movement late Paramhans.

"While there are some like Advani ji who led rath yatra but could not come due to the current situation (COVID-19 pandemic). He must be watching this from his home on TV," Bhagwat said while addressing from the Ram temple site in Ayodhya. Bhagwat, the guest of honour for the ground breaking ceremony, termed it is a moment of joy asserting "there is a wave of happiness in the country". "There is a pleasure of fulfilment of a dream for years. But the greatest joy is establishment of the self confidence and self-sufficiency needed for making India self-reliant is realised today," said the RSS chief, who sat along with Modi at the havan ceremony. With the bhoomi pujan, the Sangh's three-decade-old pledge of constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya is being realised, he said.

"When we had taken the pledge, our then Sangh chief Balasahab Deoras had told us we would have to work hard continuously for 20-30 years and we did," Bhagwat said, adding today the society is realising the joy of fulfilment of its pledge. Emphasising that the foundation stone of the temple laid on Wednesday signifies the spirit to take everyone along, he said it is being done by the able leadership of the country to make India a global leader.

Requesting people to follow the ideals of Lord Ram to regain the past glory of the country, Bhagwat said people should also build an Ayodhya inside them based on values and teachings of its king to make India great. Projecting Ram as an universal king, the RSS chief said he belongs to all and all belongs to him.

Bhagwat was one of the selected invitees at the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple at the site where a large number of Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. Construction of the Ram temple has been a core issue of the RSS, and it has been providing all necessary support to its ideological family members BJP and VHP to realise this long awaited mission of the saffron organisations.

Besides Bhagwat, top office bearers of Sangh - its general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi, its joint general secretaries Krishna Gopal and Dattateya Hosabale were also present at the ceremony..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)