At Assam rally on Ram Navami, PM Modi urges people to turn on mobile flashlights for 'Surya Tilak'

Nalbari (Assam) [India], April 17 : Amid chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing an election rally in Assam's Nalbari, on Wednesday, asked people to swtich on the flashlights of their mobile phones as the 'Surya Tilak' ritual of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya was being performed.

The Prime Minister said, "Today is also the historical occasion of Ram Navami. After a wait of 500 years, Lord Ram has been finally seated in his grand temple, and in just a few minutes from now, his birth anniversary will be celebrated in the Ram temple in the holy city of Ayodhya by applying 'Surya Tilak' to Lord Ram".
"This birthday of Lord Ram has come after 500 years, when he got the privilege of celebrating his birthday in his own home. Let's light up the flashlight on our mobile phone and participate in the ritual of 'Surya Tilak' of Ram Lalla," the PM said.
The Ram Temple in Ayodhya witnessed a unique event at noon today as the forehead of the Ram Lalla idol was anointed with a ray of sunlight, known as 'Surya Tilak' on the occasion of Ram Navami.
The "Surya Tilak" of Ram Lalla was done through an elaborate system connected with mirrors and lenses in the Ram Temple.
The temple trust had commissioned a team of scientists to achieve this phenomenon. Sunlight was precisely directed onto the statue's forehead using a combination of mirrors and lenses.
This was carried out precisely at 12 noon for about three minutes.
It is the first Ram Navami celebration since the consecration of the Ram idol at the new temple, inaugurated by the Prime Minister Modi on January 22.
Meanwhile, PM Modi addressed the gathering in Nalbari in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He highlighted the BJP government's commitment to inclusive development.
The PM emphasised the BJP's guarantee of providing free treatment facilities up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Yojana to all the elderly people above 70 years of age.
PM Modi said, "Modi has given a guarantee that all the elderly people above 70 years of age will get free treatment facilities up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Yojana. Modi will take care of their treatment without any discrimination."
"When Modi came in 2014, he brought with him hope! When Modi came in 2019, he brought with him the belief! When Modi is here in 2024, he will bring with him the guarantee. Modi's guarantee means 'guarantee ke poora hone ki guarantee'," he said
Hitting out at the opposition, the Prime Minister said that what Congress could not do in 60 years, the BJP did in 10 years.
"Today Modi's guarantee is going on in the entire country and the North East itself is a witness to Modi's guarantee. The North-East, which was given only problems by Congress, has been transformed by the BJP into a source of possibilities. Congress fueled separatism and Modi made efforts for peace and security. What Congress could not do in 60 years, Modi did in 10 years," he said.
"BJP is the party that follows the mantra of Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas. There is no discrimination in the schemes of the NDA government, everyone benefits from them. Now the NDA has decided to reach out to every citizen of the country and provide them with the facilities they are eligible for," PM Modi added.
"In the next 5 years, 3 crore more new houses will be built for the poor, and everyone will get them without any discrimination," the PM said.
At the rally, the Prime Minister also tried his hands on a traditional instrument 'Nagada'. Nalbari falls under the Darrang-Udalguri Lok Sabha constituency, one of the newly created seats by delimitation out of the erstwhile Mangaldai seat. BJP's sitting MP Dilip Saikia is pitted against Madhab Rajbanshi of the Indian National Congress.
The Lok Sabha polls for 14 seats in Assam will be held in three phases starting on April 19. In this Lok Sabha election in Assam, the BJP is contesting in 11 out of 14 seats, while its ally parties, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), are contesting in two seats (Barpeta and Dhubri) and UPPL in one seat (Kokrajhar), respectively.
Both the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) claimed three seats each. During the 2019 elections, the BJP increased its seat count to 9, while the Congress maintained its three seats, and the AIUDF won a single seat.