Skating, cycling, walking: The journeys people are taking to reach Ayodhya on Jan 22
Ayodhya (PTI): Walking, cycling and even skating! Covering long distances amid bone-chilling cold, people from all over the country and cutting across religions are flocking to the temple town of Ayodhya ahead of the consecration ceremony on January 22.
Driven by their faith in Lord Ram and carried through by the overwhelming religious mood in the country, they say they desire to be a part of the historic day and want to send out a message of love and unity.
Nitish Kumar, a resident of Bihar's Madhepura district, has cycled more than 600 kilometres to reach Ayodhya.
"It took me seven days to cover 615 kilometres from Bihar to Ayodhya. I have reached today. I was carrying a sleeping bag and some essentials with me on my cycle only to help me take some breaks on the way. I had decided to do this when the Supreme Court verdict came, I was still in school then," the 21-year-old told PTI.
"I will come next time with my family. We are a strong believer in Lord Ram. They will also be celebrating on January 22 but I wanted to be part of this historic day in Ayodhya," he added.
Kumar's has adorned his bicycle with four flags -- a tricolour and three saffron flags bearing pictures and 'Jai Shree Ram' message.
Soni Chaurasia, a Guinness Book record holder for the "longest dance marathon" (124 hours), is among the invitees for the consecration ceremony and is skating her way to Ayodhya from Varanasi.
"I left from Varanasi on January 17 and will reach on January 22. I have skated this long before too but the weather right now is a challenge. The entire journey is 228 kilometres. I am being accompanied by my coach and doctor who will follow me on a motorbike," Chaurasia told PTI.
Himanshu Soni, who is just 10-year-old, set out for Ayodhya on skates from Rajasthan's Kotputhli on January 16 is aiming to cover a distance of 704 kilometre.
"My family is a believer in Lord Ram and when we looked around, the atmosphere is no less than Diwali right now. I wanted to be in Aydohya on the day of the consecration ceremony and what better way to reach there other than pursuing my talent," Soni said.
Aiming to spread the message of Hindu-Muslim unity, Shabnam Shaikh is walking from Mumbai to Ayodhya.
"The total journey is over 1,400 kilometres. I walk around 60 kilometres a day and take multiple breaks. Being a girl, it is an obvious concern to look for a safe space to take breaks during the journey but wherever I am going I am being welcomed by people," she said.
Dressed as Mahatma Gandhi with round spectacles and stick in his hand, Muttna Tirlapura, a resident of Karakitti in Karnataka, has marched over 2000 kms on foot to reach Ayodhya.
"Gandhiji used to take 'Ram naam' daily. Who other than him to spread the message of Lord Ram! I am going places to spread this message only," said Tirlapura, who refers to himself as 'adhunik Gandhi' (Modern Gandhi).
Omesh Bhagat (47) who refers to himself as "Buddha Uncle" is on an all-India cycling tour with a message to save the environment.
With a solar panel installed on the backseat of his cycle, Bhagat has cycled over 13,000 kms since May and has now reached Ayodhya.
"The religious mood that we see in the country is overwhelming. Have never seen this before. But there is also a message that though Ayodhya will see an economic boom now, we should not forget that we need to preserve the environment here," he said.
Jaswinder Singh Lucky and his son, who are from Uttarakhand, are cycling to Ayodhya from the hill town. They will reach the holy city on January 20.
"The message we want to send out is of communal harmony. We are Sikhs and we believe in Lord Ram too," he said.
Similarly, Nitin Bhatia, a Sikh from Batala in Punjab, is cycling over 1,100 kms to reach Ayodhya on the same day as Lucky and his son.
The first phase of the temple is nearing completion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in its consecration ceremony on January 22.
The Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict in 2019, settling a temple-mosque dispute that dated back more than a century. The court backed the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for building a mosque.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
