BJP begins ‘Akshintalu’ distribution in Telangana for Ram Temple consecration

BJP Parliamentary Board Member and party Rajya Sabha member K Laxman launched the campaign in the city from a Hanuman Temple in Chikkadpally.

Hyderabad: Even as the BJP leadership is planning to coincide the launch of its poll campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha pols with the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, the party state uniton Friday started a door-to-door campaign inviting people to attend the Ram temple inauguration.

BJP Parliamentary Board Member and party Rajya Sabha member K Laxman launched the campaign in the city from a Hanuman Temple in Chikkadpally. He distributed ‘Akshintalu’ (rice and kesar) among party functionaries and volunteers, who would be visiting every village in the State carrying Akshintalu, turmeric, a photo of Lord Ram, a photograph of the proposed temple and an invitation to the consecration.

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As part of the campaign, the BJP leaders would oversee cleaning of local temples in their areas during January14-27. The BJP has readied a fortnight-long calendar to celebrate and campaign on the Ram Temple issue. On January 22, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the BJP workers would have to see that every household light up five diyas “Ram Jyotis” in the evening to celebrate the event like a Diwali.

State BJP leaders claimed that the lighting of Ram Jyotis would create an atmosphere in the way lakhs of holy bricks did, which were brought to Ayodhya from across the country for the temple’s construction since 1989 when the party had launched its Ayodhya campaign.

Apart from inviting people to take part in the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, the party is reportedly planning to push the narrative that the promise of a grand temple was fulfilled during the BJP’s rule. In fact, recently State BJP president G Kishan Reddy reportedly told the media that the Ram Temple consecration ceremony would help BJP in getting the support of the majority of the Hindus in the State in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “The way Ram Temple consecration ceremony is getting responses from the people of Telangana. We may get anything between 10 to 15 seats in Telangana,”he said.

The consecration of Lord Ram’s idol at Ram Temple has stirred up quite a political storm apart from underlining some perceptible ideological differences among I.N.D.I. A. constituents. The Congress appears to be in the proverbial Catch 22 situation on the issue and has so far not made its stand clear. On the other hand, Left parties have made their stance clear that their leaders will not be attending the ceremony.