Jharkhand celebrates Ram Navami with festive fervour, CM Soren offers prayers at Ranchi temple
Ranchi (PTI): Devotees thronged temples across Jharkhand on Friday on the occasion of Ram Navami, with Chief Minister Hemant Soren offering puja at a shrine in state capital Ranchi.
The CM, along with his wife, Kalpana Soren, visited the Shri Ram Janaki Tapovan Temple in Nivaranpur to take part in the rituals.
"Celebrating Ram Navami is a great joy for all. This grand celebration would not have been possible without the people's support and cooperation," he said.
"The respect and reverence for Lord Ram, along with the sacrifice and penance of Lord Hanuman, will surely remain enshrined in our hearts and in the atmosphere for ages to come," he added.
Soren said the beautification work of 'Tapovan Bhoomi' is underway.
"I pray to Lord Ram that this beautification work gets completed at the earliest," he said, adding that all devotees should also pray that the identity of this shrine gets strengthened.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across the state in view of the festival, officials said.
Surveillance has been intensified with the deployment of drones, CCTV cameras and quick response teams, they said, adding that special focus is being given to sensitive areas.
Religious processions will be taken out in most districts later in the day, while in Hazaribag and Jamshedpur, considered sensitive zones, these will be organised on Saturday, officials said.
Cities and towns have been decked in saffron flags ahead of the celebrations.
Since early morning, devotees have been making a beeline outside temples to offer prayers.
Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Hemant Soren extended greetings to the people on the occasion.
In a post on X, Gangwar said, "May the ideals of Maryada Purushottam Lord Ram -- truth, righteousness, sacrifice, and propriety -- forever illuminate the lives of all. I wish this auspicious festival brings happiness, peace and prosperity to all."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Air travel saves time, spent far lesser than ex-CM Basavaraj Bommai: Siddaramaiah tells BJP MLA
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah upheld his decision to travel by air on various occasions and to nearby places, arguing that it saved time and by putting before the Assembly expenses incurred by his predecessor Basavaraj Bommai.
Replying on the state budget on Thursday, the CM referred to BJP legislator H Vishwanath’s query regarding the money spent on his travel by air.
According to Deccan Herald, the senior MLA of the Opposition pointed out that while the CM was using a flight for a one-hour journey between Mysuru and Bengaluru, adding that the tax-payers’ money was used for the journey.
Siddaramaiah snapped at Vishwanath, asking if Bommai had not done the same. “Bommai had spent Rs 37 crore in 2022-23. Was that not extravagant?” Siddaramaiah asked the BJP MLA.
Presenting the figures before the House, Siddaramaiah said he had spent Rs 54 crore on air travel in the three years since he took charge as CM. He had spent Rs 12 crore in 2023-24, and Rs 21 crore each in the next two financial years, the CM said, challenging the Opposition to compare the figures with those of Bommai’s expenses on air travel.
The BJP members clarified that they had raised objections only to the special trips of Siddaramaiah to Chikkaballapur, which is situated barely 60 km away from Bengaluru, and not his trips to Delhi.
Clarifying from his front, the CM said he traveled by air to short distances as a chief minister had long hours of work and it was important to save time.
Siddaramaiah pointed out that the money spent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign trips was as high as Rs 814 crore.
In response, however, the BJP and the JD(S) members walked out of the house, expressing dissent over the state budget.
