"Jan 22: Day of resurgence of country's spiritual, cultural conscience," says JP Nadda

New Delhi [India], February 10 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda said in Rajya Sabha on Saturday that the 'Pran Pratishtha Day' was a day of resurgence of the country's spiritual and cultural conscience.
"When we speak of the 500-year-old history, it was that of slavery, of oppression. When we talk of January 22, 2024, we consider that day to be that of the resurgence of spiritual and cultural conscience. This day will be held memorable for several thousands of years," Nadda said during a discussion on the Ram Mandir on the last day of the Budget session.
Nadda said that people should consider themselves blessed that they got the opportunity to see the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla.
"This is a moment of pride for all of us that we got the opportunity to see the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Ram Lalla. We have become part and parcel of this historic time. This would not have been possible without God's blessings. So we should be thankful to them," the BJP chief said.
Nadda said that though it is known that Lord Ram's exile lasted 14 years, given the establishment of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, it may be said that His exile also lasted for 500 years.
"This was a long struggle for 500 years from 1528 to 2023. So many generations have passed, so much time has gone by, so long as the movement. We say that Lord Ram's exile was for 14 years, but Lord Ram's exile also spanned 500 years. He had to stay in a tent amid all the difficulties. And today, when he is Virajman in his palace, in his temple, this is a historic moment for all of us," he said.
The BJP president said that people in our country not only worship Lord Ram but also draw inspiration from him.
"Lord Ram is the soul of this country. He is the culture, way of life, and dignity of this country. Apart from worshipping Him as Lord Ram, we also get inspired by Him in our personal and social lives," he said.
Nadda said that Lord Ram is not only restricted to Sanatana Dharm but is also found in other religions, religious texts, and other countries as well.
"Lord Ram is not only found in Sanatana Dharm. He is found in many religious texts; many religions have accepted Him and many countries have considered Him as their own," he said.
Citing examples of the prevalence of Lord Ram in other cultures across countries, the BJP president said, "Lord Ram is in Guru Granth Sahib, in other religions as well. In Thailand, the King is known by the title King Rama, the Tenth."
"In Indonesia, which is a Muslim-majority country, Ramayan is broadcast every day on television. In South Korea, the queen's Vanshavali also starts with Ram. So we cannot look at Lord Ram from a narrow perspective. We have to look at him in a greater perspective, as our way of life," he added.
Nadda said that many kings, saints, and nihangs have sacrificed their lives in this 500-year-long struggle whom the House would like to honour.
"In this 500-year struggle, many kings, people, saints, and nihangs have struggled. You have seen our 30-year struggle, which is fresh. In the last 500 years, thousands have lost their lives, thousands have been injured...I would like to honour all of them," he said.
Hitting out at the opposition, Nadda said, "When the entire country was together, some saw it in another way which led to delays on multiple occasions...We have seen the firing of bullets, got hit with lathis, went to jail...We have seen Atal's (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) speeches and Advani's speeches (former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani)"
The BJP state chief remarked that his party had stated that they stood for the construction of Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya as early as 1989.
"As far as the Bharatiya Janata Party is concerned, in Palampur in 1989, we had stated clearly that we would strengthen the way forward for Lord Ram Lalla's mandir. At that time, people were suspicious...," he added.