Temple to give us confidence to be Atmanirbhar: Mohan Bhagwat

New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Wednesday that the foundation-laying ceremony for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will give the country the confidence to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant).
Bhagwat said “atmavishwas” (self-confidence) is needed for India to become self-reliant and that the laying of the foundation stone of the Ram temple is the first step towards achieving that goal. “The world is looking at us for solutions, and we have them because we have the purusharth (purpose of life) that Lord Ram had. We just have to recognise that,” he said.

Appealing to people to think of “an Ayodhya that is truly representative of the ideals Lord Ram represented”, Bhagwat said it is important for everyone to come together for this act of nation-building.

The RSS chief specifically hailed the contribution of senior BJP leader LK Advani and the late Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal to the Ram temple movement. “Advani ji, who led the yatra, must be watching it from his home. If Ashok ji were here, it would have made us happy. There are also those who could come but couldn’t be called because of the situation,” he said.

The moment, he said, had come after decades-old struggle. “Balasaheb Deoras (former RSS chief) had warned us this would take 20-30 years and we fought for 30 years. This is happening in the 30th year of our struggle. The resolve we took then has been fulfilled today,” he said.

Bhagwat’s comments came after PM Modi performed the bhumi pujan of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, bringing to a climax the BJP’s movement that defined its politics for three decades.