Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally returned to Ayodhya after 29-long years. Earlier, he visited Ayodhya in 1992 and he had taken a vow that he would return to Ayodhya only when a Ram temple is built.
When PM Modi paid a visit to Ayodha last time, he was convenor of the Tiranga Yatra, campaign led by Murli Manohar Joshi to scrap Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
For the unversed, August 5 marks a year since the BJP-led government scrapped Article 370 and converted Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
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In 2019, PM Modi visited the border of Faizabad-Ambedkarnagar to address a political rally but he did not pay a visit to Ayodhya.
As per the Uttar Pradesh government, PM Modi has become the first Prime Minister to visit Ram Janmabhoomi, which many believe is the birthplace of Lord Ram. He is also the first PM to visit Hanuman Garhi, the shrine to Hanuman, the UP government added..
The ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ ceremony of Ram Mandir holds special significance for PM Modi, who was one of the organisers of nationwide campaign to build a Ram temple demolishing the 16th century Babri mosque on the site in 1990.
It is to be noted that the temple campaign marked the emergence of the BJP as a national political party in the 1990s.
The demolishing of iconic Babri Masjid in December 1992 by Kar Sevaks led to riots throughout the country and changes India’s political discourse. Among the top BJP leaders, who continue to face charges for their alleged roles in the events are LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti.