Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 23 : Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Sunday hailed the flag hoisting ceremony at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple as a historic moment, saying PM Modi's visit on November 25 marks the culmination of a long-awaited dream.
Pathak welcomed PM Modi, congratulated him on the completion of the Ram Temple, and described the event as a miracle symbolising Sanatan Dharma's triumph.
"PM Modi is coming to unveil the Dharma Dhwaj (the flag of Dharma) after the completion of the Ram Temple. We Indians, the people of Ayodhya, are overjoyed. The world will witness this miracle: the flag of Sanatan Dharma has been hoisted on the highest peak. The time has come for the penance of hundreds of people to be fulfilled. I heartily welcome PM Modi and congratulate him," Pathak told ANI.
The remarks came ahead of the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, scheduled for November 25.
Ayodhya is preparing for a landmark moment on November 25, when a flag hoisting ceremony at the sanctum sanctorum of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple will mark the completion of its main construction.
Notably, Indologist Lalit Mishra's groundbreaking discovery has brought Ayodhya's ancient flag back to its rightful place. Mishra stumbled upon the flag while studying a painting from the pictorial Ramayana of Mewar, later confirming its mention in Valmiki Ramayana's Ayodhya Kand.
The flag to be hoisted at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on November 25 will carry three symbols: Om, the Sun, and the Kovidara tree.
Kovidar tree is a hybrid of the Mandar and Parijat trees, created by Rishi Kashyap and showcasing ancient plant hybridisation. The Sun symbol represents Lord Ram's Suryavansh lineage, and Om is the eternal spiritual sound.
Meanwhile, the UP Dy CM also reacted to the statement of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind President Arshad Madani. He emphasized India's progress, citing constitutional values and coexistence.
Madani on Saturday expressed concerns about the challenges faced by Muslims, highlighting what he described as discrimination against Muslims in India, pointing to issues such as the jailing of individuals like Azam Khan and the situation at Al-Falah University.
He contrasted the situation in India with the election of Muslim mayors in cities like New York (Zahran Mamdani) and London (Sadiq Khan), to counter the notion that Muslims globally have become "helpless, finished, and barren".He claimed that "no Muslim can become a university vice-chancellor" and if they become "they will be sent to jail," while referring to government actions against Al Falah University, following the involvement of their doctors in the Delhi terror attack.
"The world thinks that Muslims have become helpless, finished, and barren. I don't believe so. Today, a Muslim Mamdani can become mayor of New York, a Khan can become mayor of London, whereas in India, no one can even become a university vice-chancellor. And even if someone does, they will be sent to jail, as Azam Khan was. Look at what is happening today in Al-Falah (University)," he said.
Additionally, Arshad Madani accused the government of "ensuring that they (Muslim) never raise their heads."
Madani referred to Al Falah Group Chairman, Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, who has been remanded to 13 days of Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody, till December 1, for committing the offence of money laundering linked to large-scale fraud, forged accreditation claims, and diversion of funds from the Al-Falah University ecosystem.