"Historic, Epoch-Making": President Hails Ram Temple In R-Day Eve Speech

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday hailed the "historic" consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya this week, in a mega spectacle headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by nearly 10,000 specially chosen guests, including foreign dignitaries.

Addressing the nation on the eve of its 75th Republic Day, the President said, "We witnessed the historic consecration of the Ram idol at the grand temple in Ayodhya, at the birthplace of Lord Ram."

"In the future, when this incident will be seen in a broader perspective, then historians (studying) the Indian civilization and its heritage will recognize this as an 'epoch-making event'," Ms Murmu said.

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The President also offered praise for the centre's decision to award former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur a posthumous Bharat Ratna. The decision has been widely seen as one of the key reasons why current Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to switch sides (again) and re-ally with the BJP.

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he Ram Temple - built where a 16th century mosque stood before it was razed by a right-wing mob in 1992, triggering communal riots that killed over 2,000 people - was consecrated on Monday.

Permission for its construction was given by the Supreme Court in November 2019.

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The court acknowledged the Muslim side had been wronged, but relied on an archaeological report - which claimed a pre-existing structure beneath the mosque - to rule in favour of Hindu petitioners.

The day before the consecration Ms Murmu had written to Mr Modi, and called the nationwide celebratory atmosphere around the event an "uninhibited expression of the eternal soul of India".

The Prime Minister wrote back saying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' mantra had been inspired by Ram. "The results of this mantra are visible everywhere. In the last decade, the country has succeeded in bringing 25 crore people out of poverty," he wrote.

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Mr Modi also thanked the President, declaring he had been in a "different state of mind" when he received the letter. "Your letter helped me to deal with these feelings and to come to terms with them."

Describing his experience at the newly-built temple, he said he had "witnessed the most unforgettable moments of my life in Ayodhya Dham". "I have returned from there with an Ayodhya in my heart".

"Lord Ram has arrived," the PM had said after leading the grand consecration ceremony, which was watched by monks, businessmen, sports and Bollywood stars along with millions nationwide.

An emotional PM also said he "sought Lord Ram's forgiveness for the delay in constructing the temple".

The opening of the temple - at the heart of a decades-long political storm - was cold-shouldered by most of the opposition, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Left, and the Samajwadi Party, all of whom accused the BJP of gaining political mileage from religion in an election year.

The BJP called critics, including the Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, as 'anti-Hindu'.

The event also attracted other controversies - including one involving the shankaracharyas, or heads, of four premier monasteries. The Puri and Joshimath shankaracharyas criticised the consecration of an incomplete temple and claimed the event had been given a political angle.

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