Ayodhya : Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, has reacted sharply after several opposition party leaders refused to attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya on Monday, saying that Lord Ram does not belong to any one political party but is a symbol of collective consciousness and unites millions of Indians living in the country and elsewhere.
Acharya Satyendra Das has been living in Ayodhya since his early childhood and has been worshipping in the same temple since the last 32 years, much before the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. He is still the chief priest of the newly-constructed Ram temple.
Acharya Satyendra Das in an exclusive conversation with media spoke on several issues, including worship at the Ayodhya temple.
Reacting to the several opposition party leaders raising questions about the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, Acharya Satyendra Das said: “There is an atmosphere of fervour in the entire country regarding the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, but some political party leaders are raising questions about the timing of this auspicious and momentous occasion. I want to tell the critics of this grand inauguration event that Shri Ram does not belong to any one person, He belongs to every Indian. Shri Ram does not belong to any one political party.
“Therefore, if there is faith in God, then one has faith in God. This is beyond politics and only those who have faith and reverence in Him will worship Him. Please be kind to Shri Ram, everyone should visit Him to get his blessings and accept Him as God and you will be benefitted by it… if you don’t do so then no problem, so let those who believe in Shri Ram work in their own way.”
“Somewhere in between, Congress leaders started asking, why was there a need for a new statue of Prabhu Shri Ram? Shiv Sena also makes a different kind of rhetorical statement, ” said Satyendra Das, adding “Shiv Sena supported the decision of building a new statue of Shri Ram. However, Congress has never been cooperative… rather it was anti-Ram.”
“But Shiv Sena remained with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement since the time when party founder Bal Thackeray was alive. They had great faith and belief in Shri Ram and even when the disputed structure collapsed during the time of Kar Seva, Shiv Sena activists and workers were present there. Shiv Sena should follow the same ideology which Bal Thackeray was known for and carry on his ideology. Shiv Sena should continue to believe in God and continue to respect God. Uddhav Thackeray should also follow the same path as his late father.”
