BJP distributes 1 lakh diyas in West Bengal ahead of Ram Mandir inauguration

Ahead of the grand inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, the BJP's West Bengal unit on Tuesday distributed 1 lakh diyas or earthen lamps in Nandigram, East Midnapore district as a part of the door-to-door outreach campaign.

As the rituals for the grand 'Pran Pratistha' of Ram Mandir are underway, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) of Bengal Suvendu Adhikari distributed 1 lakh diyas to 20,000 families of Nandigram. This was aimed to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, he said.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Adhikari said, “We are doing this so that the whole Nandigram gets illuminated on January 22 with ‘Ram Jyoti’ to grace the Historic Occasion. All the earthen lamps are sourced from local potters as we support the 'Vocal for Local' mantra."

The earthen lamp distribution ceremony took place in Adhikari’s home ground and constituency Nandigram.

Adhikari also distributed clay lamps in areas including Gokulnagar, Samsabad, and Battala in Nandigram.

"Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji asked the countrymen to light up Diyas and illuminate our homes with 'Ram Jyoti' and celebrate Diwali for the homecoming of Ram Lalla, on the auspicious occasion of the Consecration Ceremony of Ram Lalla Idol and Ram Temple inauguration on January 22, 2023,” he said in his tweet.

"Our PM has asked for two things, to clean all temples on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti and to light at least 5 diyas when the gates to the ‘Ram Janambhoomi’ open," he said during the diya-distribution ceremony on Tuesday.

As a part of BJP’s campaign, Adhikari and party workers are said to have cleaned over 100 temples in Nandigram. Further, he added that during the ‘Pran Pratistha’ eve on January 22, all temples in his constituency are expected to observe the performance of yagnas and offerings, he said. Nandigram BJP unit is also setting up giant screens for live-screening of the 'Pran Pratistha' (consecration ceremony).

This comes after Adhikari, on December 29, announced the Bengal 'Ghar Ghar Yatra', a door-to-door campaign “to reach out to every supporter and resident across the state” in Kanthi.

However, following the announcement of the ‘Ghar Ghar Yatra’, Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee branded Ram Mandir's inauguration a “gimmick” ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Rituals ahead of the mega 'Pran Pratistha' (consecration ceremony) of Ram temple on January 22 began today.