Thursday 12 February 2015

India PM Shocked Over Temple


 India PM (1)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he is "appalled" by news that a temple dedicated to him is set to open in his home state of Gujarat.

Mr Modi tweeted that this was "shocking and against India's great traditions" and urged those who had built the temple "not to do it".

The Hindu temple, with an idol of the prime minister, will officially open in Kotharia village in Rajkot on Sunday.


'Incarnation'
 
Mr Modi served as the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 until becoming prime minister.

Reports say some 350 of his supporters collected donations for construction of a dome-roofed temple, some 210km (130 miles) from Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad.

  India PM (2)

The supporters initially put a framed photograph of the prime minister in the temple. Now they have spent 170,000 rupees ($2,724; £1,789) in donations to buy the idol before the inauguration at the weekend.

Followers will be able to make offerings and prayers in front of the idol.

"We believe he is an incarnation of God as after he became chief minister of Gujarat things changed for the better," one supporter, Ramesh Undhad, told AFP news agency.

Mr Modi tweeted on Thursday: "Have seen the news about a Temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking & against India's great traditions."

"Building such Temples is not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it."

"If you have time & resources, please devote the same towards fulfilling our dream of a Clean India," he told his supporters, referring to one of his key campaigns in office.

The temple will not be the first devoted to a politician in India.

Temples have been built in the memory of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and popular film star-turned-politician NT Rama Rao.

Last January, a temple with an idol of Sonia Gandhi, the head of India's main opposition Congress party, was opened by a supporter in southern India.

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