Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi paved the way for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and fulfilled former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh’s dream even though the Congress prolonged the issue. Union home minister Amit Shah pays tribute to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh on his death anniversary, in Aligarh on Monday (ANI)

Shah said this during an event where the former chief minister’s death anniversary was observed as Hindu Gaurav Diwas at Numaish Maidan in Aligarh. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath who was also present during the occasion said Kalyan Singh would certainly be pleased “once the Ram Mandir is completed”.

Addressing the gathering, Shah asked supporters of Kalyan Singh to make the Bharatiya Janata Party win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as “a true homage to him”.

“The Congress did everything to prolong the Ram Mandir issue, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi made Ram Mandir a reality without any bloodshed. The beginning which was made by Babuji (Kalyan Singh) has been given a shape by Modi,” Shah said.Congress leader Amit Singh, however, said, “It was BJP leaders who created the situation of tension in the name of Janmabhoomi movement. BJP is in habit of placing baseless allegations.”

The home minister recalled that he had informed Kalyan Singh on phone about the foundation stone laying ceremony for Ram Temple by Prime Minister Modi (on August 5, 2020). In response, Babuji said it was “realisation of his biggest dream,” Shah added.

Kalyan Singh was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister when the disputed structure was demolished on December 6, 1992. He lost the post thereafter but stated that he “would give up his post 100 times for the Ram temple cause”.

“PM Modi is on way to complete the unfinished task of Babuji after the court order in favour of temple,” Shah said.

“Kalyan Singh worked for welfare of poor, empowerment of backwards and sacrificed his seat as chief minister and refrained from firing on agitated kar sewaks in Ayodhya (on December 6, 1992). Rather, he gave up his chief minister’s status for the cause,” Shah said.

During the event, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that the legacy of Kalyan Singh would be the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. “Babuji ...would certainly be pleased once the Ram Mandir is completed in Ayodhya and open for public viewing in the first quarter of 2024. The double engine government in UP is working to fulfil his dreams,” he said.

Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary and Union minister Piyush Goyal also spoke on the occasion.