It was due to Lord Ram that India became a global superpower. People should learn a lesson from the life of the Maryada Purushottam, who made India a global superpower. These are the words of an Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary. He is minister of religious affairs, culture, minority welfare, Muslim waqf and Haj.

Minister Chaudhary was speaking to a Press Trust of India reporter in Lucknow about the large-scale Deepotsav organised in Ayodhya this Diwali. The state government also renamed the Ayodhya district to Sri Ayodhya.

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Chaudhary said once the Ram temple is built in Ayodhya at the spot where Ram was born, it would restore the glorious history of the town. He said public sentiment across the country was in favour of building the temple. A mosque stood at the spot. Popularly known as the Babri mosque, the disputed structure was razed by a mob in 1992. Archaeologists suggest Mir Baki, one of Babar's army chiefs, razed a temple to build the mosque.

"Whether it is the government or any other institution (in the country), everyone must respect the public sentiment. And, the public sentiment, which is prevailing across the country, wants that the construction work of the Ram temple in Ayodhya must begin at the earliest," Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary told PTI.

"As soon as a grand Ram temple is built in Ayodhya, it will restore the glorious history of Ayodhya. Subsequently, lakhs of tourists will visit the place and it will eventually give a boost to tourism in the temple town," the state religious affairs, culture, minority welfare, Muslim waqf and Haj minister said.

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Chaudhary said that the entire world was keeping a watch over the developments, Chaudhary affirmed that the country "owes its identity to Lord Ram".

"Lord Ram is a personality, who is incomparable -- be it as a son or a warrior. Lord Ram is our role model," Chaudhary said.

The minister claimed that during the Mughal rule, British rule and even after decades of Independence, no attention was paid to Ayodhya's development.

"It was only after Yogi Adityanath became the UP chief minister that attention was paid for the beautification of Ayodhya and to enhance its grandeur. In the last 100 years, no work was done for development of Ayodhya and it was virtually left to its own fate."

(With inputs from PTI)

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