Himanta Sarma said tomorrow’s event marks the triumph of Indian civilization
Guwahati:
The grand consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya marks the triumph not only of Hindus but also of Indian civilization, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, appealing to Muslim and Christian communities to hold prayers specials tomorrow.
“I appeal to Muslims and Christians to hold special prayers tomorrow so that all of us, from all castes and communities, can stand together in peace. This is not a triumph of Hindus, but a triumph of Indian civilization. This is not the triumph of the Hindus. “There is no difference between the British colonialists and Babar. Babar was a foreign power,” Mr. Sarma said in Assamese during an interaction with the media today.
Ayodhya’s grand Ram temple will be erected on the site where the Babri Mosque stood before its demolition in 1992. The 16th-century mosque was at the center of a centuries-old conflict between Hindus and Muslims. Hindus believe that the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram and that Muslim invaders razed a temple there and built the mosque. Inscriptions inside the mosque, now demolished, suggest that it was built in 1528-29 by Mir Baqi, a commander of the Mughal emperor Babur.
After decades of legal battles, the Supreme Court in 2019 handed over the disputed site to a trust responsible for building the Ram temple. The court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to give land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board for the construction of a mosque.
As Ayodhya gears up for the grand pran pratistha ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP government in Assam has declared tomorrow a public holiday for schools, colleges and universities. These are also private institutions.
In line with the half-day break given to the Center by government employees, Assam said state government offices would be closed till 2:30 p.m. The state government has also declared tomorrow a dry day. Fish and meat shops will remain closed until 4 p.m. Additionally, restaurants will be prohibited from serving non-vegetarian dishes till 2 p.m.
“We appeal to commercial establishments to close their shops during the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple,” Mr. Sarma said.
The state government said special security arrangements have been made in sensitive areas to prevent any outbreak of violence at the community level.
