The temple, built at the site where goddess Sita spent her time during captivity in Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka, needs immediate renovation. (File photo: IANS)

In what appears to be a balancing act, the Kamal Nath government continues to forge its soft Hindutva out-reach while continuing its opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

After making budgetary provisions for setting up of the Ram Van Gaman Path (route taken by lord Ram during his exile) and model Gaushalas across the state, the Madhya Pradesh government has now decided to finance renovation of the Sita Mata Temple in Sri Lanka.

The temple, built at the site where goddess Sita spent her time during captivity in Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka, needs immediate renovation. This claim was made by Madhya Pradesh culture minister PC Sharma who recently led an official delegation of the state government to the island nation.

The delegation met Sri Lankan President Rajpaksa and urged him to take the necessary steps required for conservation of the Sita Temple. The Madhya Pradesh government offered to pitch in the money and decided to make a budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore to start with.

"We had been hearing about the Sita Temple but nothing was done over there. Now we have decided to make a budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore and also mobilise money locally in Sri Lanka," MP culture minister PC Sharma said while speaking to India Today.

The opposition BJP, however, is not convinced and is trying to place it alongside the government's claim now to allow implementation of the CAA in Madhya Pradesh. Calling Chief Minister Kamal Nath as someone who is adept in making announcements, state BJP president Rakesh Singh called the government's move a balancing act through which an attempt is being made to placate members of the majority community.

"On one hand his government is saying that the CAA will not be implemented to please his bosses and on the other hand, in an attempt to show that his government is pro-majority community he is talking about construction of the Sita temple in Sri Lanka," MP BJP chief Rakesh Singh said.

"The fact is that many girls with names like Janki are being persecuted in Pakistan and this government is opposed to their taking citizenship. There are many temples in India, first he should think about their up keep and maintenance," Rakesh Singh said while reacting to the government's plan to construct a temple in Sri Lanka.

The Madhya Pradesh government has also claimed that the Sri Lankan government has demanded land for a Buddhist Museum in Sanchi and that the same would be allocated as a goodwill gesture in return for the land that would be provided for the Sita Mata temple in Sri Lanka.