Large posters depicting Ram temple, new airport come up in Ayodhya
Ayodhya (UP) (PTI): Large posters bearing images of the upcoming Ram temple and the new airport and a message that hails Ayodhya as a city of "Maryada, Dharm and Sanskriti" have been put up in the temple town in Uttar Pradesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the new airport and the redeveloped railway station on December 30. He is also slated to hold a roadshow from the airport to the station.
A large number of security personnel were deployed at the premises of the new wing of the Ayodhya railway station on Wednesday as workers carried on with civil work.
A grand Ram temple is currently under construction in Ayodhya, with the consecration ceremony to be held on January 22, which will be attended by the prime minister.
Huge posters were put up in front of the new building of the station and along the Station Road.
The poster mounted near the porch of the new building of the station carries an image of the upcoming Ram temple and a message in Hindi, welcoming dignitaries and other people to Ayodhya.
"Hearty welcome and greetings to all seers, honourable dignitaries, devotees, tourists and citizens arriving in Awadhpuri, city of 'maryada' (honour), 'dharm' (religion) and 'sanskriti'," reads the message attributed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
After dark when the old and new buildings of the railway station were illuminated in dazzling hue of pink, many passengers, security personnel and others were seen taking pictures of the new structure and the large posters.
These posters carry a footnote that says Uttar Pradesh's Information and Public Relations Department.
A few metres away from the station, another huge poster has been put up bearing the image of the new airport of Ayodhya and the same greeting message.
The airport also carries a traditional look with the design of its facade drawing inspiration from temple architecture.
Along the Station Road, another poster has been put up bearing the aerial view of the Deepotsav that takes place in Ayodhya's Ram ki Paidi at Saryu ghat.
The redeveloped Ayodhya railway station is a state-of-the-art infrastructure having modern "airport-like facilities", while its facade is inspired from the traditional temple architecture.
A massive crowd is expected to descend in Ayodhya close to the consecration ceremony and the city is getting decked up for the big day.
A set of imposing sun-themed columns -- 'Surya Stambhs' -- are being installed along a prominent street in the holy city.
Chief Minister Adityanath is slated to visit Ayodhya on Thursday to take stock of preparations ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to the temple town on December 30, officials said.
After arriving, he will first visit the Hanumangarhi temple and pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman. Following this, he will have a "darshan" of Ram Lalla and then inspect the ongoing construction work of the Ram temple, a senior official told PTI.
A ceremonial gateway to the Ramjanmabhoomi temple site has been erected in front of the Birla Dharmshala and workers are giving finishing touches to it. The gateway is located near Hanumangarhi temple and leads to the site of the upcoming temple.
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.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
