The entire country has become excited in view of the bhoomi pujan ceremony for Ram temple in Ayodhya and there is no other golden moment like Prime Minister Narendra Modi breaking the ground to mark the start of construction work, the Shiv Sena said on Tuesday.
The COVID-19 crisis is prevailing in the country, but it will disappear with the blessings of Lord Ram, an editorialin Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.
It the ceremony, to be held at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, will be fika (lacklustre) as Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be able to attend it. Shah on Sunday said he had tested positive for coronavirus after showing initial symptoms. He said his health was fine and he was getting admitted to a hospital on the advice of doctors. The Shiv Sena said it is praying for his speedy recovery.
The party, however, cryptically said though Shah is in isolation, the crisis still looms large over the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. Gehlot has no reason to be happy that Shah is in isolation as the BJP leader performs political surgeries from wherever he is, the Marathi daily said. "Prime Minister Modi himself will perform the 'Bhoomi puja' by visiting Ayodhya, the Sena said. It noted that BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, key leaders attached to the Ram temple construction campaign, will witness the sweet end of the battle of temple construction via video conferencing from Delhi.
Advani and Joshi were advised not to attend the ceremony in view of their age and the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ayodhya, it said. Uma Bharti, another leader attached to the campaign, will not attend the ceremony in person given the fear of COVID-19, and will watch the ceremony from the banks of the Saryu "through the eyes of her mind, the Shiv Sena said. "The country has become excited in view of the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony. There is no other golden moment like the country's prime minister breaking the ground (for temple construction)," the Sena said. "Coronavirus is prevailing.
It has spread in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh and the entire country. This crisis, too, will fade away with the blessings of Lord Ram, it said. The Sena further said the responsibility of security arrangements in Ayodhya was with the Home ministry, but it was unfortunate" that Shah got infected by the novel coronavirus. "Prime Minister, RSS chief, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other invitees will be there (for the ceremony), but the ceremony will be lacklustre without Home Minister Shah, the Shiv Sena said. Referring to the Rajasthan political crisis, it said Gehlot had to shift Congress MLAs from that state in isolation when Shah was quarantined at a hospital.
"That means the threat (to the Gehlot government)persists! the Shiv Sena claimed. The MLAs were recently shifted to a Jaisalmer resort from Jaipur. The Sena further said Uttar Pradesh has seemingly turned into a COVID-19 hotspot and the death of the states minister Kamal Rani Varun due to the disease is demoralising for people. It raised concern over Karnataka Chief Minister BSYediyurappa also getting infected by the disease.
The Shiv Sena said Shah had taken utmost care during the lockdown period. It noted that the Union home minister took part in a public event in Delhi last Saturday and attended the cabinet meeting last Wednesday observing social distancing norms. Yet, Shah has asked those who came in his contact in the past few days to isolate themselves and get themselves tested for coronavirus, the Shiv Sena said.
"The entire Union council of ministers need to be isolated if the Home Minister is saying this. Shah is close to the prime minister as his second key colleague in the council," the Marathi publication said. But nothing will happen to the prime minister and the home minister due to the blessings of Lord Shriram. Wishes extended by (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi to Shah are important, it said. Gandhi had on Sunday wished Shah a speedy recovery.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI)