Nitish Kumar's 'Sita temple' bid is now BJP's Lok Sabha poll pitch in Bihar, Amit Shah says ‘only Narendra Modi can…’

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Nitish Kumar had also promised the same when he was part of the Opposition INDIA bloc. At an election rally in Bihar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while reiterating the 'vote bank' jibe, said, "PM Modi has built the temple of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. Now, the work that is left is to build a great memorial at the birthplace of Ma Sita." "Those who kept themselves away from Ram temple can't do this, but if someone can build a temple as ideal as the life of Ma Sita, it's Narendra Modi, it's BJP," the minister was quoted by ANI as saying at a rally in Bihar's Sitamarhi.

Amit Shah's Sita Temple promise comes months after Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi presided over the Pran Pratistha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya Ram Mandir on January 22 this year. Notably, in December 2023, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced the Bihar government's ₹72-crore plan to redevelop the Punourdham in Sitamarhi. At that time, Nitish Kumar was a part of the INDIA bloc.

So, the former INDIA bloc member's proposal to construct the Sita Temple in Sitamarhi was interpreted as a direct challenge to the saffron party's endeavor to build the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Like Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, which is believed to be the birthplace of Valmiki Ramayana's Ram, Sitamarhi in Bihar is believed to be the birthplace of Ram's wife, Sita. The Nitish Kumar government's plan involves setting up a parikrama path (a path to circumambulate the temple) with a roof and sandstone pillars.