Now Reading: Bihar CM: Ram temple never on BJP agenda, Lord Ram asked for home
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Bihar CM: Ram temple never on BJP agenda, Lord Ram asked for home
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said on 13 October that building a temple was never on the BJP's agenda, but Lord Ram, who lived in a tent for 400 years, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a home. Choudhary, the first BJP chief minister of Bihar, was addressing a party programme marking Modi's 25 years in public service.
He said the BJP fought legal battles from lower courts to the Supreme Court, and after the apex court's blessings, PM Modi gave Lord Ram a home in the form of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, inaugurated in January 2024. Choudhary also linked the temple construction to the BJP's ideological commitment, alongside scrapping Article 370.
He announced plans for a grand temple at Goddess Sita's birthplace in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, with approval from predecessor Nitish Kumar. The Bihar government in July 2025 approved over Rs 882 crore for the development of Punaura Dham Janki Mandir.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both Deccan Herald and Rediff, via PTI copy, present near-identical coverage of Choudhary's remarks, leading with his statement that temple building was never on the BJP's agenda before pivoting to his divine-housing analogy. The uniform wire copy offers no critical or pro-government framing: it reports the speech, the legal history of the Ayodhya dispute, and the Sitamarhi temple plans without editorial comment. A balanced reading confirms that Choudhary's rhetoric frames the Ram temple as a response to a divine request rather than a political promise, while both outlets omit any direct response from opposition or civil society. The concrete next step is the Rs 882 crore development plan for Punaura Dham Janki Mandir, already approved.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): deccanherald.com (neutral report), rediff.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
