Chirag Paswan's Nod To Ram Temple Supporters: "One For Sita In Bihar"

Lord Ram is "incomplete without Goddess Sita" and a temple for her will be built at Bihar's Sitamarhi, Lok Janashakti Party's Chirag Paswan said today in what was seen as building on the BJP's successful campaign for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Sitamarhi, believed to be the birthplace of Sita, is a big draw for pilgrims in the state.

The temple will come with a bog infrastructure project. "Lord Ram is incomplete without Goddess Sita and vice versa. So, a corridor connecting Ayodhya's Ram Temple and Sitamarhi will also be constructed," Mr Paswan said, adding that the promise is part of his election manifesto.

In April, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that his government will build a promenade around the old Sita temple at Purana Dham following the initiative of BJP MP Prabhat Jha.

The temple movement took centrestage among the issues championed by the BJP with Mr Advani's rath yatras in the 1990s.

On December 6, 1992, kar sevaks razed a 16th Century mosque -- believed to have been built by Mughal Emperor Babar -- standing at the site, claiming it was built after pulling down a temple that marked the spot where the Lord Ram was born. More than 2,000 people died in the violence that followed.  

Last year, after several efforts at mediation failed, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict on the century-old politically sensitive issue. The ceremonial begging of the temple started in August with the groundbreaking ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.