Despite his disappointment that a Ram temple could not be built even when a majority BJP government was in power, Mr. Pandey takes a pragmatic approach. The opinion is polarised around Mr. Modi. Mr. Modi himself signalled his priorities at an election rally in Gosaiganj, some 30 km from the temple town. As is his wont with contentious issues, Mr. Modi avoided mentioning the Ram temple but hailed Ayodhya as the land of “Prabhu Ram” and the “country’s pride”. While the Opposition parties are criticising Mr. Modi for avoiding Ayodhya, incumbent BJP MP Lallu Singh defended the PM saying a packed poll schedule left him with no time to visit the makeshift temple.

Source: The Hindu May 04, 2019 16:07 UTC