UP Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh. (File Photo) UP Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh. (File Photo)

Uttar Pradesh Health minister Siddhartha Nath Singh on Friday told news agency ANI that Swami Brahma Yogananda, who had predicted Narendra Modi’s win as the Prime Minister, has predicted that a ‘grand’ Ram temple will become a reality before 2019. He added that many people who were against the idea before have now started to wish for the same.

“Swami Brahma Yogananda had predicted Modi ji will become PM, and he now predicted a grand Ram Temple before 2019. Also, now situation in the country is changing. People who were earlier opposed to it now want a grand Ram temple,” Singh was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Yogi-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh had recently also decided to hold Diwali celebrations on a large scale in Ayodhya next month, in what is being seen as a first for a government in UP. The celebrations, which will be held at the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya, will be attended by the CM, Governor Ram Naik, as well as the state cabinet and government officials. According to an earlier report in The Indian Express, the CM has been to Ayodhya twice already and had also announced that he will increase the frequency of his visits there.

REAd | In a first, Yogi govt to hold grand Diwali festivities in Ayodhya

The Babri Masjid, a mosque that is said to have been built in Ayodhya during the tenure of Mughal emperor Babar, came under wide dispute in 1949 after idols of Lord Ram were found inside it. On December 6, 1992, hundreds of karsevaks descended on Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and demolished the 16th-century mosque. They claimed that the mosque was built on land considered holy by Hindus who believed it to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Lord Rama. It triggered widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd