Amit Shah attacks Oppn over Sita temple during Bihar rally, Congress hits back with 3 questions

The Congress referred to a statement made by Ministry of Culture which allegedly said “there is no historical evidence” of goddess Sita's birth in Sitamarhi.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday invoked Goddess Sita during his rally in Purnea for the second phase of assembly polls in Bihar. Shah, while addressing the rally, announced that he, along with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, laid the foundation stone of a grand temple of Goddess Sita, worth ₹850 crores, which is underway to be built in Sitamarhi.

Ramesh also accused the government of not allocating funds for the preservation of Bihar's religious sites.(PTI)

Amit Shah, while targeting the Mahagathbandhan leaders, said, "Can Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav build a Sita Mata temple?... They are afraid of their vote bank... Do you know who their vote bank is?... But Rahul Baba, we are not afraid of that vote bank. A grand temple for Sita Mata is about to be built..."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended an election meeting at Sitamarhi, the birthplace of goddess Sita, where he spoke of the NDA's endeavour to renovate Punaura Dham, the shrine built at the spot.

Even as Amit Shah invoked Goddess Sita to attack the opposition and PM Modi visiting Sitamarhi, the Congress hit back at the BJP, alleging it of disrespecting Bihar's faith and Mithila's identity.

The Congress referred to an old statement made by the Ministry of Culture, which allegedly said that “there is no historical evidence” of goddess Sita's birth in Sitamarhi.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to X and shared a post posing three questions to the BJP. One of the questions posed was in reference to the statement of the Ministry of Culture about Sita's birthplace.

Jairam Ramesh further asked whether the BJP will “publicly apologise before coming to Sitamarhi ?” The Congress leader also claimed that the BJP government made a statement in the Rajya Sabha on April 12, 2017, saying, “There is no historical evidence that Goddess Sita was born in Sitamarhi.”

While the post called the statement an insult to the "faith of Bihar," it also highlighted Congress's efforts to develop major religious places in Bihar, including Sitamarhi-Punaura Dham.

Funds not allocated

Ramesh also accused the government of not allocating funds for the preservation of Bihar's religious sites. This included the PRASHAD Scheme, which did not allocate “even a single rupee” to Sitamarhi, and the Swadesh Darshan, which also neglected Sitamarhi. “Why are you not interested in preserving and developing Bihar's religious sites?” the post questioned.

The party also questioned BJP the reason behind the cancellation of the Motihari-Sheohar-Sitamarhi rail project, despite demands from the residents. It said that Sitamarhi is a religious centre and a strategic area connected to the international border. “Why was this project given such low priority?.. Will the Prime Minister answer them? ” the post read.

Amit Shah lays foundation stone for ₹850cr Sita temple in Sitamarhi

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that he and CM Nitish Kumar laid the foundation stone of a grand temple of Goddess Sita, worth Rs. 850 crores, to be built in Sitamarhi. He announced this during an election rally in Banmankhi town of Bihar's Purnea district.

Taking a swipe at Mahagathbandhan leaders, Shah added, "Can Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav build a Sita Mata temple?.

Amit Shah also said that as soon as the temple is built, a Vande Bharat train will run from Bihar to Ayodhya on the same day “to connect Sita's temple and the Ram temple...”