Babri mosque demolition anniversary: BJP pays tributes to Ram temple movement participants, calls its 'Shaurya Diwas'

New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday posted a video clip on social media showing some glimpses of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, calling it 'Shaurya Diwas', and paid tributes to those who sacrificed their lives for the Ram temple construction at the disputed site.

Posting on X from its official handle a picture of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the ruling party wrote, "On Shaurya Diwas, crores of salutes to all the Sanatani heroes who ended 500 years of slavery".

VHP and other Hindu outfits have, over the years, marked the day as Shaurya Diwas (Valour Day), while Muslim outfits observed it as 'Black Day' or Youm-e-Gham" (Day of Sorrow).

The video, posted by the BJP from its official handle, shows some footage of the day when the Babri mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992. It also shows some glimpses of a ceremonially hoisting of 'Dharma Dwaj', a saffron flag, atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"On Shaurya Diwas, we pay our heartfelt tribute to the Sanatani heroes who paved the way for the cultural revival of the country by sacrificing their lives in the Shri Ram Temple movement," the BJP wrote on X.

The messages were also posted on official handles of various BJP state units including of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.

Several BJP leaders from different states also shared them and paid tributes to those who sacrificed their lives during the movement.

"Heartiest greetings on Shaurya Diwas...On this day, the path was paved for the construction of Lord Shri Ram's temple. Shaurya Diwas is our pride, and this pride will be felt for generations. Hundreds of salutes to the Sanatani heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Shri Ram Temple movement, paving the way for the country's cultural resurgence," Alok Sharma, BJP MP from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, wrote on X.

Recently, a controversial order directing all schools in Rajasthan to observe December 6 as "Shaurya Diwas" was recalled by the BJP government in the state after it drew flak from the opposition and Muslim groups.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 25 ceremonially hoisted the saffron Dharma Dhwaj atop the Ram temple in Ayodhya, marking the formal completion of its construction.

Modi was accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during the ceremony, alongside Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The right-angled triangular flag, measuring 10 feet in height and 20 feet in length, features the image of a radiant Sun, the sacred symbol 'Om', and the Kovidara tree.

Hundreds of 'karsevaks' had brought down the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya, which Hindu outfits claimed was built on a temple at the birthplace Lord Rama.

In a landmark 2019 verdict, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi unanimously allowed the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, granting the entire 2.77-acre plot for the temple and allotting a five-acre plot for the construction of a mosque. PTI PK RT