Ravi Shankar Prasad

PATNA: Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday that a magnificent Ram temple would be constructed at Ayodhya after formation of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre again.

The BJP nominee from Patna Sahib made this announcement through Twitter with the photographs of the religious places he visited in Patna on Monday.

While offering prayers at Jalla Mahavir Mandir in Patna City, Prasad said he had played the role of a small ‘sevak’ of Lord Ram as an advocate in the Ram Janmbhumi case. Prasad also visited Takhat Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara and Patan Devi Mandir.

“After offering prayers at the temple of Lord Hanuman, who is the follower of Lord Ram, the memories of Allahabad High Court evoked when I had rendered a small service as bhakt (follower of Lord Ram). With the blessings of Lord, Modi government will come again and a magnificent temple will be built at Ayodhya,” Prasad tweeted his statement in Hindi.

When asked about his tweets, Prasad told TOI: “That was my sentiment and Ram Mandir is our commitment.”

Sources close to Prasad said he will formally kickstart his campaign on April 5. Prasad, who also visited Choti Patan Devi Mandir, Badi Patan Devi Mandir, Chitragupt Mandir and Shitla Mandir in Agamkuan on Monday, said, “I have grown up here and spent my childhood. I have sentiments attached with these places. I took the blessings of the gods before getting busy in election campaign.”

Deliberating upon his visit to Takhat Sri Harmandir Sahib Gurdwara, Prasad tweeted: “I am privileged of getting the opportunity to contest from Patna Sahib, which is the birth place of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaaj. I have taken Guru’s blessings, so that I get an opportunity to serve him.”

Prasad, who is contesting a Lok Sabha election for the first time, is likely to face rebel BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who is set to join Congress on April 6. Though Shatrughan’s candidature has yet not been announced by Congress, he has made his stand clear on contesting from Patna Sahib.

Prasad’s candidature has not been favoured by a section of local BJP leaders. Sources said Rajya Sabha member R K Sinha was also keen to get a BJP ticket for Patna Sahib seat either for himself or his son Rituraj Sinha. In fact, the alleged supporters of Sinha and Prasad had clashed at the airport on Tuesday. Both belong to forward Kayastha caste. Patna Sahib, considered to be a BJP bastion, is also dominated by forward caste electorates.

