Was appalled, made me very sad: PM Modi on temple dedicated to him

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a lot of fans and supporters throughout the nation. However, perhaps the fandom went a bit too far when his supporters in Rajkot built a temple for him. And the Prime Minister is not even remotely amused.

“Have seen the news about a Temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking & against India’s great traditions,” the Prime Minister tweeted, adding that it made him very sad. He even urged the people to spend their time and resources on building a clean India instead of building a temple for him.

Have seen the news about a Temple being built in my name. I was appalled. This is shocking & against India's great traditions.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 12, 2015

Building such Temples is  not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it.

Building such Temples is  not what our culture teaches us. Personally, it made me very sad. Would urge those doing it not to do it.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 12, 2015

If you have time & resources, please devote the same towards fulfilling our dream of a Clean India.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 12, 2015

The temple, with a bust of Modi in the sanctum, stands on Kothariya road and is scheduled to be inaugurated on 16 February.

“It is a first of its kind in Gujarat, temple of a living person,” said Jayesh Patel, leader of Om Yuva Group.

More than 350 members of the group joined hands to construct it by collecting small donations and now plan to conduct daily worship there, he said.

“Members of our organisation have been worshipping Modi as God from the time he contested his first Assembly election from Rajkot and became the Chief Minister of Gujarat,” Patel said. “We are very much impressed by the work he did as the Chief Minister and the work he is doing now as the Prime Minister, so we decided to construct a temple for him.

“Initially we had placed a framed photo. Now we have installed an idol, spending Rs 1.7 lakh,” Patel said, adding, that the total cost of construction was around Rs seven lakh.

“Our members, earning from five thousand to fifteen thousand rupees a month, contributed,” he said.

Patel said that the 350 sq yard plot of land where it stands was provided by the Kothariya Gram Panchayant ten years ago for religious purpose. The village is now part of Rajkot Municipal Corporation.

Members are hoping to get a BJP minister from the Centre or the state to inaugurate it. The group members were unfazed by the BJP’s defeat in Delhi assembly elections and they had nothing do with any political party, said Patel.

(With inputs from PTI)