Uttarakhand CM Dhami headlines roadshow, credits PM Modi for end to 500-year wait for Ram Temple

Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) [India], January 16 : Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ending the long wait for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
He made the remarks after headlining a roadshow, which started at Surendra Singh Baldiya Sports Stadium and culminated at Dev Singh Maidan in Pithoragarh.

Locals in their thousands, including public representatives, advocates, ex-servicemen and people from across the state extended a hearty welcome to CM Dhami and joined the roadshow as it snaked through Clock Tower Takana, Gupta Tiraha, Kemu Roadways Station on its way to Dev Singh Maidan.
Acknowledging the warm public reception amid drumrolls, the playing of musical instruments and the performance of folk dance forms such as Chholiya, the CM showered petals on locals in a gesture of appreciation for them.
On the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, CM Dhami said the 'Pran Pratishtha' will mark the end of a prolonged wait spanning 500 years.
He added that the moment a significant section of the country's population has been waiting for would never have arrived had it not been for the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He informed that cleanliness campaigns are being carried out extensively across the state in the lead-up to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.
"The moment, which has been keenly awaited for over 500 years, is finally here. We are privileged to have been born in a generation that will witness the opening of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We owe it all to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi. This is a matter of pride for us" Dhami said.
"Ahead of temple opening in Ayodhya, cleanliness campaigns are being held everywhere in Uttarakhand. Across our religious sites, ghats, temples and public places, events are being hosted and pubic campaigns are being organised ahead of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony on January 22," he added.
Meanwhile, in response to Prime Minister Modi's call for cleaning places of worship ahead of the January 22 event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday swept the floor of Hanuman Temple in Lucknow.
The Raksha Mantri was in Lucknow to attend the Army Day events.
Singh reached the Hanuman Setu temple near Lucknow University on Tuesday morning and was pictured picking up a broom and sweeping the floor. Thereafter, he offered prayers at the shrine.
"Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has called upon all the countrymen to contribute towards cleanliness in the temples around them. Today, I went to Hanuman Setu temple in Lucknow and did Shramdaan under #SwachhTeerth campaign and got the privilege of serving Hanumanji," the Defence Minister posted from his official X handle.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur was also seen indulging in a similar clean-up act at the Hanuman Temple at Connaught Place in the national capital on Tuesday.
Speaking to media personnel, Thakur said, "PM Modi has called on everyone to clean temples across the country. I also took part in this ongoing drive today. I wish to send out a message to fellow citizens that there is no better act of devotion than ensuring the cleanliness of our religious places."