World waiting for historic Ram temple consecration on Jan 22, says PM Modi in Ayodhya

Addressing a public meeting following the slew of inaugurations, PM Modi said the whole world is waiting for the “historic” Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22, but appealed to people to not come to the city for the event, as only a few selected people have been invited to witness the ceremony.

He, however, requested 140 crore Indians to celebrate the day as Deepavali by lighting diyas (earthen lamps) in their houses. The Prime Minister also urged people to launch cleanliness drive at pilgrimage sites across country from January 14.

“There was a time Lord Ram was living under a tent, now he will get a concrete house like the 4 crore poor who got pucca houses,” Modi said, and added that the strength of “vikas” (development) and “virasat” (heritage) will take the country forward.

Speaking on the achievements of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Modi said the scheme has transformed lives of crores of mothers and sisters. Targeting the previous UPA government, he said while only 14 crore gas connections were given in five decades, the BJP government has given 18 crore, including 10 crore free of cost, in a decade.