Union Minister Ramdas Athawale cleans Buddha temple premises in Mumbai under cleanliness drive

Ramdas Athawale. File Pic

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale cleaned the premises of the Buddha Temple in the Bandra area of Mumbai as part of the cleanliness drive on Wednesday, the ANI reported.

Ramdas Athawale said, "PM Modi has said that one should keep one's house and religious places clean. So, everyone needs to make efforts towards that. Sanitation workers do their work but it is our responsibility too to keep our religious places clean. So, I started this...," according to the ANI.

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He further said that while the inner sanctum sanctorum is always cleaned, the outer premises should also be kept clean.

"If there is too much dirt, then it will result in the rise of pollution. I wish to appeal to the people of Maharashtra that wherever there are Buddha Vihar and Samaj temples, a cleanliness drive should be carried out. Today we have conducted this drive in Buddha Vihar in Shastri Nagar and the objective is that people should be aware of cleanliness," Ramdas Athawle said, ANI reported.

He further said that such a drive should be conducted every 15 days and the Municipal Corporation officials along with the common man should also be involved.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleaned the premises of the Kalaram Temple in Maharashtra's Nashik as part of the Swachchata Abhiyan campaign. Visuals showed the Prime Minister with a mop and bucket mopping the floor of the temple.

Delivering his inaugural address at the 27th National Youth Festival in Nashik, the Prime Minister reiterated his call for cleanliness campaigns, urging citizens to clean pilgrimage places and temples across the country on 'Pran Pratishtha' day of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya of Uttar Pradesh on January 22.

PM Modi will be the main "yajman" at the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Laxmikant Dixit, the main priest for the ritual, said here on Wednesday, the PTI reported.

Laxmikant Dixit refuted reports that Ram temple trust member Anil Mishra, who is performing rituals with his wife in the run-up to the main event, will be the yajman also on the consecration day.

Typically, the yajman is the main host of a puja -- the person on whose behalf the prayers are offered.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Ayodhya, Dixit, the main 'archak' (priest) made it clear that PM Modi will be the main yajman for the 'pran pratishtha' rituals in Ayodhya.

(with ANI and PTI inputs)