Is Modi being careful to avoid Ram temple eclipsing his achievements?

New Delhi: On January 12, an overwhelmed Modi talked only about his spiritual being when he said he was embarking on a special “anushthan” for the next 11 days until the January 22 consecration ceremony of Ayodhya Ram temple.

Modi’s six-minute-long audio message was nothing short of a devotional address to the country.

Nowhere in his recent communication on Ayodhya Ram temple, was Modi seen invoking any sort of political victory.

Modi's talking about devotion contradicts the political tussle prevailing around the Ram temple.

The opposition led by Congress is accusing that the temple’s opening ceremony is scheduled before elections for votes. On the other hand, BJP’s counter-attack invokes Jawahar Lal Nehru’s opposition to Somnath Temple opening in 1951 and Sonia Gandhi’s 2016 letter to Pope Francis to expose the hypocrisy of the grand old party.

Contrary to the claims, Modi is advising BJP leaders not to go overboard.

Explaining why Modi's approach to the politics of the Ram temple is getting subtler, Shekhar Iyer, Senior Journalist and Political Analyst, said, “PM does not see that temple will add more votes for him. At best, he may be thinking that the votes will consolidate.”

Opposition is building a narrative that Modi is relying on Ram temple to win a third term even after 10 years in power when Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is being held across the length and breadth of the country.

“Modi does not want the temple to eclipse his development plank of showcasing his achievements of the last 10 years. He has delivered many pro-poor schemes to fulfil his electoral promises,” Iyer said.

“So Ram temple is seen as a promise fulfilled. Nothing less and nothing more,” Iyer concluded.