Veteran BJP leader LK Advani addresses nation ahead ceremony
Ahead Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan ceremony, Veteran BJP leader LK Advani addressed the nation on Tuesday and said that the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram Temple will be a historical and emotional day for him. The senior leader, who is also key architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, said, "I feel humbled that during Ram Janmabhoomi movement, destiny made me perform a pivotal duty in the form of Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya in 1990 which helped galvanise aspirations, energies, and passions of its countless participants."
He further said, "It is also my belief that Ram Mandir will represent India as a strong, prosperous, peaceful, and harmonious nation with justice for all and exclusion of none so that we can truly usher in Ram Rajya, the epitome of good governance."
However, the 92-year-old leader will not be attending the Bhumi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya tomorrow due to his age and vulnerable coronavirus situation nationwide.
The Ram Janmabhoomi issue gained political currency after the then BJP president L K Advani started his 'Ram Rath Yatra' in 1990. Modi as a national office-bearer in the BJP played an important role in Advani's 'Ram Rath Yatra'.
Advani launched his famous 'Rath Yatra' from Somnath temple in Gujarat, drawing people in thousands as his chariot rolled through the country's heartland, at times triggering communal riots as well, while the movement gained momentum.
This had followed the party's decision to come out openly in support of the temple's construction, where the Babri mosque stood at that time before being brought down by frenzied kar sevaks in 1992, in its national executive meeting in Palampur in 1989.
