Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration: ‘Will maintain neutrality from religion...treat all equally’, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

Ravi Shankar Prasad has asserted that India 'will maintain neutrality from religion and the State will treat all religions equally,' amid the preparations for the consecration ceremony of Ayodhya's Lord Ram temple.

In an interview with , the BJP leader added, "India is a deeply religious country, and respect for all faiths is integral to Indian ethos. Rig Veda says ‘Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti’, meaning truth is one but interpreted differently. You have your perceptions, you respect my path, and I will respect yours. The ultimate truth is permanent, eternal, and omnipresent. That is the real core".

He said India would never become a theocratic nation.

Several videos and footage have emerged from BJP-ruled states where people are seen celebrating the consecration of Ram Temple with furore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has gone on an 11-day fast and is visiting temples across the country before the 22 January ceremony.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leaders, karyakartas and supporters have explicitly expressed their joy for the grand ceremony. However, the opposition has targeted the Central government saying that the line between the State and religion has blurred, and accused BJP of playing politics in the name of Lord Ram in a bid to win the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

However, Prasad told the English Daily that 'Felicitating the grand ceremony, arranging for that does not mean blurring the lines. So many people are coming and the machinery is just facilitating them. Should religious places in India be filled with dirt? Why cannot our religious places become extraordinary, like the Vatican? Ayodhya is sacred to the Hindus. The priests are there, (but) after all Modi, our Prime Minister, is a Ram