‘Lord Ram waited in a tent for 400 years’: Bihar CM says PM Modi gave him home

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has said Lord Ram waited in a tent for around 400 years before Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave him a permanent home in the form of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. His remarks, made at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) programme marking Modi’s 25 years in public service, have gone viral on social media.

“Building a temple was never on the BJP’s agenda,” Choudhary said, before explaining how the party pursued the issue through the courts.

“But Lord Ram was waiting in a tent for around 400 years. Everybody was getting houses; Prime Minister Narendra Modi was providing pucca houses to around five crore people, and Lord Ram was also asking when he would give Him a home,” he said.

Choudhary said the BJP fought legal battles from the lower courts to the Supreme Court and that the temple became possible after the apex court’s verdict.

“Upon getting the blessings of the apex court, PM Modi gave Lord Ram a home in the form of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya,” he said.
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Ram Temple and the Ayodhya dispute

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya was inaugurated in January 2024, marking a major milestone in the decades-long campaign to build a temple at the disputed site where the Babri Masjid once stood.

Many Hindus believe the 16th-century mosque was built after the demolition of a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram. The Babri Masjid was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992, triggering communal violence that claimed hundreds of lives.

In November 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site. It also directed that five acres of land be allotted at an alternative location in Ayodhya for a mosque.
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BJP’s ideological agenda

Addressing the party gathering on Tuesday, Choudhary highlighted the BJP’s ideological commitments, citing the construction of the Ram Temple and the abrogation of Article 370, which had granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ram Temple, the abrogation of Article 370 and the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code have featured prominently in the BJP’s political agenda for decades.

Choudhary also said a grand temple would be built at Punaura Dham in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, a site believed to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita. He said approval for the project had been granted by his predecessor, Nitish Kumar.

In July 2025, the Bihar government approved more than Rs 882 crore for the overall development of the Punaura Dham Janki Mandir, a major Hindu pilgrimage site in the district.

(With PTI inputs)