Fans of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday scrapped plans to open a temple in his honor after Modi said he was “appalled” by the idea.
Modi supporters had invested thousands of US dollars in the temple in his home state of Gujarat — replete with a large statue of the charismatic leader — that was due to open on Sunday.
However, they decided to rededicate the temple to “Mother India” after Modi strongly criticized the plan, saying it went against the nation’s traditions.
Photo: AFP
“We had built the temple to express our love and faith in Modiji,” project organizer Ramesh Udhad told reporters, using an Indian honorific to describe the prime minister. “But if he is unhappy or hurt by our gesture, we will remove his statue.”
Udhad said the opening ceremony had been canceled and the statue of Modi, who appears dressed in his trademark collarless jacket and a saffron sash, covered with a tarpaulin.
“Building such temples is not what our culture teaches us,” Modi said in a Twitter post.
“I was appalled. This is shocking and against India’s great traditions,” he added, urging supporters instead to focus their energies on his flagship campaign to clean up India.
Temples dedicated to living people are unusual in Indian culture, but not unprecedented: Last year, opposition supporters opened a temple to National Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi in the south of the country.
News of the dedication comes at an embarrassing time for Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party this week suffered a decisive defeat in Delhi’s state polls.
Modi had enjoyed an extended honeymoon with voters since his landslide general election victory last year, but analysts have said voters are growing tired of waiting for his promised reforms.
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