Nripendra Misra reveals what PM Modi told him during Ram Temple construction: 'He kept mentioning that...'

He further stated that the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict enabled the acceptance of Ram mandir across the country

Days after the second major consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Nripendra Misra, chairman of the Ram temple construction committee, revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had firmly insisted the temple should convey a message of positivity.

The former principal secretary to PM Modi, Misra indicated in an interaction that Mughal emperor Babur’s name was deliberately excluded to avoid passing on the impression to the youth that Sanatan Dharma had endured a defeat.

“Nowhere have we used the name that such and such came and destroyed the temple. The message was, please do not discuss negative thoughts. He (the PM) kept mentioning that if you make that a prominent message, the younger generation would feel small. He did not want the younger generation to suffer from these temporary shocks that Sanatan Dharma failed,” Misra told The Indian Express.

“The younger generation should know how we have regained and conserved,” he added.

He further stated that the Supreme Court’s 2019 verdict enabled the acceptance of Ram mandir across the country, adding that not all past conflicts can be resolved through a legal route.

On being asked if more temple-related claims may arise in the future, he said civil society must take responsibility to steer clear of such issues. “I place this responsibility not so much on the government. It will have to be of various social groups, representatives, elected or not elected – they must recognise,” he was quoted by Indian Express.

Earlier this month, the consecration of 'Raja Ram' -- Lord Rama in his royal form -- along with the installation of idols in eight newly built temples inside the Ram Janmabhoomi complex was held in Ayodhya in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

The inauguration of the temple in January 2024 had marked the culmination of a decades-long campaign, mostly under the Hindutva banner, to reclaim a disputed religious site in Ayodhya.

A temple-mosque dispute had simmered over the spot where the 16th century Babri mosque once stood in Ayodhya. Many Hindus believe that the mosque was constructed after the demolition of a temple that existed on the site of Lord Ram's birthplace.