As the country celebrated a second Diwali on the evening of January 22 after the Pran Pratistha of Lord Rama in Ayodhya, the country witnessed a surreal atmosphere. People burst crackers, did Sundar Kand and Hanuman Chalisa recitations and held Bhandaras/Langars in their societies. The scenes were mostly the same across India. People took to social media to share their joys and photos of their homes, balconies, society or roads lit with diyas. This was an impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging people to celebrate the return of Ram at their homes by lighting ‘Ram Jyoti’. His appeal struck a chord with a rejuvenating nation and devotees obliged. What India witnessed yesterday was no less than a cultural renaissance.
Glimpses from a very special day in Ayodhya! pic.twitter.com/EYLYnThyos
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024
Main road outside Mumbai buildings completely lit with Diyas by shopkeepers and society. They don’t even do this during Diwali. Absolutely beautiful sight! pic.twitter.com/9JazKhyvFK
— Sandeep Deshpande (@sandeepti009) January 22, 2024
This is the second such occasion when PM Modi’s appeal displayed widespread support from the masses. The first such instance was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when PM Modi had asked people to express gratitude to doctors and medical professionals by giving them a five-minute standing ovation by clapping hands, beating plates or ringing bells. The Congress had joked about whether this would help in combating Covid but people did not pay heed and went on with the move.
रामज्योति! #RamJyoti pic.twitter.com/DTxg2QquTT
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024
The irony is that the largest opposition party in India failed to gauge the public mood even then and again yesterday. While Lord Ram is revered by all, the historic pran pratistha event not only swept the nation but even rattled the opposition so much that the Tamil Nadu government, led by INDIA bloc ally DMK tried to suppress the screening of the event through oral orders. The state police forced people to remove screens and the BJP moved the Supreme Court challenging the decision. Only after the top court’s intervention, the screening was done by late evening. The same was the condition of the Congress party as its leader Rahul Gandhi listened to Ram Bhajans during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in a bid to counter the BJP’s narrative. But the party missed the elephant in the room and it’s now too late for Congress to do damage control.
At this juncture, just go three days back when PM Modi was in Tamil Nadu’s Srirangam. While the people lined up on both sides of the road to greet PM Modi during his roadshow, there were several iconic moments in the two-minute-long video shared by PM Modi.
Whenever I come to Tamil Nadu, the warmth and affection of the people leaves me spellbound. Here are some priceless moments from Srirangam… pic.twitter.com/oGqdHv5NaP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 20, 2024
In one of the scenes, a very old woman was blessing PM Modi from her doorsill while the Prime Minister greeted her with folded hands.
Superb Picture of the day…
A son @narendramodi is seeking blessings with a Pranam to Maa by folding hands and Maa blessing him wholeheartedly “जीते रहो बेटे और देश की सेवा ऐसे ही करते रहो”
Modi is not just The PM,he is the Man of the masses and one of the masses. This is love… pic.twitter.com/eR8pn8agK5
— Nishan (@iNishant4) January 20, 2024
In another scene, a priest standing by the roadside was blessing PM Modi with one of the shlokas of the Valmiki Ramayana. The shloka simply translates that the dharma that you are following will protect you. It was said to Rama by Mata Kaushalya.
One man blessed PM @narendramodi with !
यं पालयसि धर्मं त्वं धृत्या च नियमेन च।
स वै राघवशार्दूल धर्मस्त्वामभिरक्षतु।।2.25.3।।Which means :
“The duty which you are carrying out with courage and selfdiscipline, O tiger among the descendants of Raghu will alone protect you.”… pic.twitter.com/MH7mXDGU1b
— Pooja Sangwan (@ThePerilousGirl) January 20, 2024
These are not staged acts. These are the feelings of the general public which reflects the larger mood of the nation. Congress just cannot reject this by terming the Ram Temple even a political event. In fact, the Ram Temple issue has been a political one for both the parties – Congress and the BJP – since its inception while a matter of faith for the devotees. While the BJP will claim that it fulfilled its long-standing promise, Congress has been giving credit to the Supreme Court verdict.
While the grand old party and its leaders are busy in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the BJP has made a strong case for itself among the voters with ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’. The BJP has almost secured the 2024 polls in its favour not only due to the Ram Temple but also due to its policies like PM Awas Yojana, Nal Jal Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana for providing electricity to all. The public welfare policies of the Narendra Modi government aided by the fulfilment of the Ram Temple promise may hurt the opposition parties badly in the Lok Sabha elections.