The BJP national executive on Tuesday expressed “abhar” (gratitude) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “expeditious construction” of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and the development of other Hindu pilgrimage sites and thus rekindling “a new social consciousness”, a minister said.

The Ram temple is scheduled to be completed early next year, just in time for it to become a key campaign plank for the BJP in the run-up to the general election, due in summer.

The BJP national executive passed a socioeconomic resolution at the conclusion of the two-day event, showering praise on Modi not only over the economy but for ushering in a “social consciousness” about the country’s “heritage and culture”, with the Ram temple at the heart of it.

“The national executive expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the expeditious construction of the Ram temple,” education minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters.

He said Modi was feted also for building the Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor, developing the Somnath temple and the shrines at Kedarnath and Badrinath, the Mahakal temple in Ujjain, the Surya temple and Pavagadh temples in Gujarat, the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and the ropeway at Hemkund Sahib.

Pradhan assailed the Opposition for raising questions over the Ram temple.

“The Opposition used to take digs at the BJP, asking about the time schedule for the construction of the Ram temple. Now, temple construction is going on in full swing and the completion date has been announced,” he said.

Home minister Amit Shah recently announced at a rally in Tripura that the Ram temple in Ayodhya would be ready in January next year.

The socioeconomic resolution said that Modi’s policies had led to “a politics of saturation and governance of saturation”, leaving behind an era of “depressed economy”.

Pradhan said the expression “politics of saturation and governance saturation” referred to the Modi government turning into reality its promise of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas (Support for all, development for all)”.

He said the Modi government had transformed lives across society without any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion.

The poor were getting houses, electricity, LPG and tap water as well as free rations and other social benefits. Asked about the price rise and the job crisis, Pradhan dismissed them as “global issues”.

He said the socioeconomic resolution asserted that the Modi government’s policies had brought economic prosperity to India, giving rise to popular awareness about the country’s position and its rich culture and heritage. It lauded Modi for the country’s economy remaining strong despite the pandemic and the Ukraine war.

Nadda extension

The BJP national executive on Tuesday “unanimously” extended the term of party president J.P. Nadda till June 2024, Shah announced.

Nadda, whose current term was to expire this month, will now helm the party through the Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May 2024.