Lord Ram statue taller than Statue of Unity cleared

Lucknow:  Uttar Pradesh government will install a 221-metre bronze statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Information) Avanish Awasthi said on Sunday, 25^th November 2018, amid demand for  early construction of  Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.


While the height of the actual statue would be 151 metres, its overhead umbrella would be 20 metres while the pedestal would be 50 metres, he said.


A museum would be housed at the pedestal, Awasthi said.


Five firms shortlisted for construction of the statue gave presentations before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday evening, the officer said, adding soil testing is being done for installing the statue.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had on October 31, inaugurated an imposing 182-metrestatue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the country’s first home minister, in Gujarat.


Meanwhile at Ayodhya,  Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray  has once again reiterated his demand for a Ram Temple. Addressing a press conference in Ayodhya on Sunday, 25^th November 2018, Thackeray took a veiled dig at ally BJP saying that if the Ram Mandir is not built, this government (at the Centre) will not stay in power.

Uddhav also said that whether the party remained in power or not, the Ram Mandir will definitely be built. “If it doesn’t build it, then this govt may not stay, but the Mandir will still be built,” he said.


Thackeray who had gone to visit the Ram Lalla temple earlier in the morning, said that he had sought the blessings of the saints to get the work (construction of the Ram Mandir) done.


“I told the saints who blessed me yesterday that the work which we are about to begin can’t be done without their blessings. I have no hidden agenda in coming to Ayodhya. I’ve come here to express the sentiments of all Indians and Hindus across the world. They are all waiting for the Ram Mandir to be built,” he said.


Referring to a statement given by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, Thackeray said, “I heard that the chief minister had said, ‘mandir tha, hai aur rahega’. (’There was a mandir, there will be a mandir and there will remain a mandir.’) But that is our conviction, our belief, our emotion. What hurts is that we can’t see the mandir. When will we see the mandir? It should be built soon,” Thackeray said.


At a time when assembly elections are happening in five states, the Shiv Sena chief took a veiled dig at the BJP and warned that the party should not use the Ram Mandir issue as a poll plank. “If the matter has to go to court, then the party should not use this as a poll plank and should tell the people that this is just another jumla. They should not play with the emotions of Hindus,” he said.


On Saturday, 24^th November 2018,  Thackeray had, while addressing a gathering at Laxman Quila in Ayodhya, demanded that BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh must give a date by which the construction for the Ram Temple will begin in Ayodhya town.


“You have to tell us the date, the rest can follow. I want the date today,” Thackeray said.

“How many years will we have to wait? Generations have gone by ... During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time, it might have been little difficult (to build the temple) but today’s government is powerful... If you want to bring in an ordinance bring it or if you want to make a law, do it,” he said in Hindi.