Light a diya for Lord Ram this time, work in Ayodhya will start very soon: Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that work for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya will start soon. "Light a diya for Lord Ram this time, work there (Ayodhya) will start very soon. We have to take this up after Diwali," Yogi Adityanath said at an event in Bikaner. His statement comes amid reports that the chief minister is likely to announce a 151-metre tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of Sarayu in Ayodhya. 

According to news agency PTI, Rishikesh Upadhyay, the mayor of Ayodhya Municipal Corporation said, "There is a proposal to install a 151-metre-tall statue of Lord Ram on the banks of the Saryu river in Ayodhya... Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may make an announcement on this on the occasion of Dev Deepawali." 

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"The place where the statue will be installed will be finalised after the soil is tested. The statue is likely to come up in the vicinity of Sant Tulsidas Ghat. Officials are looking at two-three sites, after which they will pick the best one," Upadhyay, a BJP leader, added.

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Last week, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister had asked district magistrates and police chiefs to ensure Diwali passes off peacefully without any untoward incident, an official had said on Friday. The District Magistrate of Faizabad has been asked to ensure the temple town of Ayodhya was clean for the 'Choti Diwali' when 'deepotsav' is held on the banks of river Saryu.