{"id":47081,"date":"2024-01-12T17:55:05","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T17:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/modi-says-on-11-day-fast-ahead-of-divisive-temple-opening\/"},"modified":"2024-01-12T17:55:05","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T17:55:05","slug":"modi-says-on-11-day-fast-ahead-of-divisive-temple-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/modi-says-on-11-day-fast-ahead-of-divisive-temple-opening\/","title":{"rendered":"Modi says on 11-day fast ahead of divisive temple opening"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he was beginning an 11-day religious fast ahead of a ceremony he will lead to inaugurate a controversial new Hindu temple.<\/p>\n
Modi is presiding over the January 22 opening of the shrine, built on grounds where a centuries-old Babri Mosque once stood before it was torn down by zealots in 1992.<\/p>\n
The ceremony is set to burnish the Hindu-nationalist leader\u2019s credentials as a defender of India\u2019s majority faith just months before national elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am fortunate that I will also be a witness to this auspicious occasion. \nThe Lord has made me an instrument to represent all the people of India,\u201d Modi said in an audio message posted to social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeeping this in mind, I am starting a special ritual of 11 days from today. I seek blessings from all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The purification rite Modi said he was embarking upon involves a series of prayer rituals and an almost complete abstinence from food for its duration.<\/p>\n
Modi has incorporated his Hindu faith into the politics of his officially secular country in an unprecedented manner since coming to power a decade ago.<\/p>\n