Modi Hails India’s ‘New Era’ With Opening of Major Hindu Temple
- Ayodhya temple has fueled tension between Hindus, Muslims
- The event gives Modi a boost before elections in coming months
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled his party’s decades-long promise by consecrating a controversial Hindu temple in northern India on Monday, marking a new milestone in the popular leader’s project of reshaping the country into a more avowedly Hindu nation.
Hailing the day as the “dawn of a new era,” Modi took center stage at the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, bringing together religion, politics and spectacle in a style that the prime minister has embraced. The event, which was marked by a last-minute holiday across much of India, helps launch his campaign to lead India for a third term in elections expected within months.