'Ram Rajya will begin in the country'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said he felt that Ram Rajya will begin in the country now that the temple in Ayodhya has come up, but stressed that this does not mean a theocratic state.

Addressing an intellectuals meet in his parliamentary constituency, he said Ram Rajya does not mean a theocratic state, but developing a sense of responsibility and duty among people.

”We had said that Ram is the centre of our faith. If we get a majority, grand Ram Mandir will be built in Ayodhya. You saw, that work was also done. Now I have started feeling that Lord Ram has now come out of his hut and entered his palace, hence I have a firm belief that Ram Rajya will begin in India,” he said.

Explaining the concept of Ram Rajya, he said, ”If I talk about Ram Rajya, it does not mean that I am talking about any theocratic state. Ram Rajya means that a sense of responsibility and sense of duty should be developed among the common people. If a sense of duty is not developed, and there is only a sense of rights, then Ram Rajya cannot come.

”You should read the whole story of the Ramayan and see that Kaikeyi did not have a sense of duty but only sense of rights due to which the whole crisis had arisen, and Lord Ram had to go to the forest,” he added.

The defence minister said that politics means a system that takes the society towards the right path, but the irony is that in independent India the word ‘politics’ has lost its meaning.

He said, ”I believe that India needs such politicians who can re-establish the lost meaning and spirit of the word politics in the Indian political system.” Without naming anyone, he said, ”In the field of politics, I believe that the crisis of credibility should not arise under any circumstances. There should be no difference between the words and actions of leaders. Whatever the leader says, he should do it, only then there will be no crisis of trust in Indian politics.” Asserting that he never gives assurance to people, he said, “At the age of 26, when I was contesting the assembly elections, I had given some assurances once or twice. After that a thought arose in my mind that I have given assurances to the public so that we can get votes, but I have doubts whether I will be able to fulfil these assurances or not. ”The truth is that despite becoming an MLA, I was not able to fulfil some assurances, that is why I vowed that if I contest any election, I will not give any direct assurance to the public.” However, Singh also said that the party he belongs to had not only accepted the crisis of credibility that had arisen in Indian politics as a challenge, but also won over it.

”I am saying this so that someone can pick up our election manifesto and look at it. Whatever promises we made in it, we have fulfilled them,” he added.

Referring to the abolition of the triple talaq system by the BJP government, Singh said, ”If it is a question of triple talaq, I know many people will say why are you interfering in the matter of another religion.

”The question is not about religion. I believe that be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jew, anyone, everyone’s mother is like our, irrespective of the religion they follow. If we feel that she is being tortured, then to hell with politics… we don’t worry about it. We will stand up to protect that sister and daughter. That is why we ended the practice of triple talaq,” he added.

Polling in Lucknow will be held on May 20 in the fifth phase. Singh is vying to win the seat for the third consecutive term.