The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday passed a resolution commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “effectively implementing the concept of Ram Rajya”, or the utopian reign of the Hindu deity Ram, in India over the past 10 years, reported The Hindu.
The resolution, titled “Viksit Bharat – Modi’s Guarantee”, also lauded the prime minister for India’s economic progress during the two terms of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.
The resolution was moved at the BJP’s national council meeting in New Delhi by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and seconded by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath also spoke in support of the resolution.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, not only has the temple of Lord Shri Ram been built, but he has also effectively implemented the concept of Ram Rajya in the last 10 years,” the resolution said.
In doing so, the resolution said that Modi had “set an ideal example of Sanatan culture”. This is a reference to “Sanatana dharma”, a term that some use as a synonym for Hinduism. “Whenever there will be a discussion in the future, historians will consider this event as a milestone,” the text stated.
On January 22, Modi had performed the rituals to consecrate the Ram idol in the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. He was accompanied by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Adityanath and the chief priest of the temple.
The temple is being built on the site of the Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindutva extremists on December 6, 1992, because they believed that it stood on the spot on which the deity Ram had been born. The incident had triggered communal riots across the country.
“The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is a historic and proud moment for the country,” BJP chief JP Nadda said on Saturday. “This is the announcement of the beginning of ‘Ram Rajya’ in India for the next 1,000 years.”
The resolution claimed that the party’s dream of “Viksit Bharat”, or developed India, will be realised before 2047 and praised Modi for moving the Indian economy out of the “Fragile Five” and into the “top five” fastest growing economies globally.
The “Fragile Five” is a term coined in 2013 by an analyst at Morgan Stanley to refer to a group of countries – Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, India and Indonesia – whose economies were most at risk due to their reliance on foreign investment at the time.
“India is currently the fastest growing major economy in the word [and is] on track to become a $5 trillion economy and the third largest economy by 2027,” the resolution states.
BJP leaders also lauded Modi’s “hard work for the revival of cultural centres” including the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi, the Mahakal Corridor in Ujjain, the Kartarpur Corridor in Punjab and the reconstruction of temples including the Pavagadh Shaktipeeth in Gujarat and shrines on the pilgrimage trail of Kedarnath, Badrinath and Somnath.
“Last year, there were nine state elections and the BJP succeeded in forming the government in six of them,” the resolution also states. “These results were an outright rejection of the divisive and caste-based politics of an arrogant coalition [INDIA bloc].”
The resolution also condemned the recent violence in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali village, saying that “the way in which the dignity of women was violated” by leaders of the Trinamool Congress led by “puts humanity to shame”.
Also read:
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!