'Rahul, SIR & Sindoor': At Sita temple event in Bihar, Amit Shah focuses on 'R-S-S' ahead of elections

Patna: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, flanked by Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) president Nitish Kumar, on Friday laid the foundation stone for a grand Goddess Sita temple at Punaura Dham in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district. The temple, to be constructed on a scale and grandeur of Lord Rama Temple at Ayodhya, at a cost of Rs 882 crore, is likely to be developed as a major religious and cultural pilgrimage site.

By laying the foundation of the temple, Amit Shah, the chief strategist within the BJP, also laid the foundation of BJP’s widening base for the ensuing Bihar Assembly polls where the issue of construction of Sita Temple (a long-pending demand), developing a corridor between Rama Temple at Ayodhya and Sita Temple in Sitamarhi and naming it Ram-Janki Path, will be an emotive issue during the October-November elections.

POLL BUGLE

Shah, after highlighting the Rama temple and Sita temple, jumped on the political bandwagon and made the event a political one, thereby virtually sounding a poll bugle in Bihar. He spoke more of R-S-S, wherein he dwelt at length about Rahul (Gandhi), SIR (Special Intensive Revision) and Sindoor (Operation Sindoor).

“The ally of Lalu Prasad, Rahul Gandhi, keeps on making allegations every now and then, keeping the copy of the Constitution in his hand. My suggestion to him is: Please read the Constitution before attacking constitutional bodies,” said Shah, in an oblique reference to Rahul’s attack on the Election Commission and judiciary.

“I would also like to speak about 'Operation Sindoor'. In the new India, under Narendra Modi’s leadership, there is no leniency for terrorists. Gone are the Congress days when terrorists would explode bombs and take shelter in Pakistan. Nowadays, we launch Operation Sindoor, enter Pakistan territory and dismantle the terror groups’ hideouts,” said Shah, while striking an emotional chord with the gathering.

“Before concluding, I would also like to say that these days, SIR in Bihar is facing a lot of criticism. But is it not fair to weed out the names of illegal infiltrators who are not Indians and vote in India? These Bangladeshis have usurped the jobs which were actually meant for the youths of Bihar,” said Shah, as the crowd roared in cheer.