New Delhi: All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi violated the oath of office by laying the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “India is a secular country. The Prime Minister has violated the oath of office by laying the foundation stone of Ram Mandir. This is the day of the defeat of democracy and secularism and success of Hindutva,” ANI quoted Owaisi as saying.

Last month, Owaisi had said that Modi’s attendance at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Ram temple would amount to “violation of the constitutional oath”. On Wednesday, Modi offered prayers and laid the foundation stone for a grand temple at the site believed to be the Lord Ram’s birthplace.

The groundbreaking ceremony marked the formal launch of the temple’s construction promised by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party nearly 25 years ago. Last year, the Supreme Court cleared the hurdle in the construction of the temple when it awarded the site to Hindus after decades of litigation. The BJP rank and file has applauded the groundbreaking ceremony with Union home minister Amit Shah calling it the beginning of a new era.

Vedic rituals marked the ground breaking ceremony in Ayodhya with 175 people in attendance because of restrictions in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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