Moily creates storm over Modi’s ritualistic fasting

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the ‘pran prathista’ of Ram Lalla at the new Ram temple in Ayodhya, senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Tuesday stoked a controversy by saying he had doubts whether PM Modi actually fasted for 11 days before the ceremony. “If he hasn’t, then the entire Sanctum Santorum (or the ‘garbh griha’) has been made ‘apavithra’ (impure).”

On January 12, the prime minister began his observing all rituals and ‘niyams’ of an 11-day ‘Anushthan’ (ritual) ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha’ on January 22. As part of the ‘Anushthan’, PM Modi observed a limited fast — one meal a day — since January 12. From January 19, he only ate fruits during the day and fasted on the day of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’. As part of his ‘anushthan’, PM Modi also visited various temples associated with Lord Ram from north to south across the country before the consecration ceremony.

Former Union Minister Veerappa Moily raised doubts on whether PM Modi fasted for 11 days before and stressed that he had spoken to doctors and they said it was not possible.

The Congress leader went on to say if PM Modi didn’t actually observe the fast and went inside the Sanctum Santorum and performed the ‘pooja’, then the whole place would become impure and wouldn’t have the same kind of energy.

PM Modi presided over the ‘pran pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla inside the Sanctum Sanctorum which took place amidst chants of mantras during the 84-second-long ‘Abhijeet muhurta’ on January 22 in the presence of thousands of VIP invitees.

The new Ram temple was opened to the general public on Tuesday. Over 3 lakh devotees have already visited the complex for ‘darshan’ amidst tight security. The timings for ‘darshan’ are 7 am to 11.30 am and 2 pm to 7 pm. The temple will be closed for Darshan from 1 pm to 3 pm daily.