Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha: Holiday, dry day in Bihar on January 22? Request made to CM Nitish Kumar
New Delhi: The Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha will be held on January 22, 2024 and will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries of the country. Several states have declared half- and/or full-day holidays, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. These and some other states have also imposed alcohol bans, i.e.: Dry day has also been stated. Amid these announcements by the state governments, Bihar has not yet declared a full public holiday or a dry day January 222024. However, a request has been made to the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday urged Prime Minister Nitish Kumar to declare a full-day holiday in Bihar on January 22 in view of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He added that it is time for a “renaissance of religion.”
Full day holiday, dry day in Bihar on January 22?
Giriraj Singh emphasized that Bihar, being a Hindu majority state, should consider a full-day holiday in keeping with the sentiments of the Hindu community. Besides calling for an extended holiday, the Union minister proposed a ban on the sale of alcohol and meat during the important ceremony. “It is time for a renaissance of religion. The central government has declared a half-day holiday. I would like to tell the CM Nitish Kumar that Bihar is also a Hindu majority state. And considering the sentiments of Hindus, a full-day holiday should be declared in Bihar. Besides, sale of alcohol and meat should be banned,” Singh said while speaking to ANI.
“Congress has a problem with Ram Temple,” says Giriraj Singh
Singh also criticized the Congress party and highlighted past examples related to the construction of the Ram temple. He further accused the grand old party of prioritizing the reconstruction of the mosque over the temple in 1992. The Union minister acknowledged the BJP's continued efforts to secure the construction of the Ram temple. “The Congress has always had a problem with the Ram temple. They had two chances to reconstruct the temple: once in 1947 and the second time, when Kalyan Singh was suspended after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, they immediately announced that they would reconstruct the mosque. BJP has put up an uphill battle to get the temple built,” the Union minister said.
The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Modi, politicians, businessmen like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, top cricketers and film stars of the country.
(Input from ANI)