‘Ram Mandir is a Symbol of Unity For the Country’
Sagar Bachchas, a 21-year-old student from Ghaziabad, UP, shares his views on the Ram Temple and how it is paramount for the upcoming elections in 2024
BJP knows that elections cannot be won by development alone. They need to touch the emotional chord of the electorate and rake up issues like the Ram Mandir to win elections in 2024. And BJP realized this after its defeat in the 2004 general elections when it gave the slogan of ‘India Shining’.
In 2001, the party put forward the issue of Ram Mandir but not with full force. Earlier, Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi had promised to establish Ram Rajya in Ayodhya to pacify the Hindus but after winning the elections he obviously forgot about it. And BJP took advantage of this and then Prime Minister Modi has vigorously chased it since 2014 and made two promises – first was related to Article 370 and second to construction of Ram Mandir. He has delivered on both count.
The electorate today believes that for the last 10 years, the Congress has been creating problems in the construction of Ram Mandir to safeguard its vote bank. It did not get the Ram Mandir constructed while in power. Rather, it initiated criticism and speculation around it.
Even now, wherever the opposition party is in power, it is playing the caste census card and trying to mislead and divide the country; while the BJP is giving a message of unity through the construction of Ram temple.
BJP is set to promote the temple in an organized manner. By inaugurating the Ram Mandir, BJP might garner votes from South India (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) because the people there are also very sensitive about the subject.
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On the other hand, the Ram Mandir Trust and RSS will take the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony as a celebration to the temples of 5 lakh villages and to the NRI families of about 156 countries living abroad. This will have a direct impact on the elections to be held in 2024.
At yet another level, just like other temples in the country provide employment, similarly people here will also benefit. According to estimates, about 16,000 people work in Tirupati Balaji temple and Ram temple is set to have a high employment potential. Alongside, the work of hotel bookings, travel agencies, flower garlands and religious items will get a boost. Nearly 1.5 crore people visited Ayodhya in the year 2014.
In 2022, this figure touched 4 crores, including about 55,000 indigenous people. Due to this, rail travel is expected to increase by about 15 times because the number of visitors has increased 2.5 times in the last six years. Foreign investors are being attracted to such development due to which foreign investment is big in Uttar Pradesh, and this will also lead to more jobs; and better economy. All this will put Ayodhya on the world map.
The construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya is the beginning of an era of development not only for Modiji but also for Uttar Pradesh and the country. I don’t need to say this, but soon Ayodhya shall see a boom in the real estate – people will be able to sell or lease their lands at good prices. The contribution of religious pilgrimage in the GDP of our country is 2.32% and the economy of temples is around 3.02 lakh crores.
The business in our country due to the construction of Ram temple will be huge and the income the government will earn from the temple will also help the country become the third largest economy in the world.
As told to Deepa Gupta
