Indian PM says no to temple in his name
The reading
A temple that was built and named to honour India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have to be renamed. Supporters of India's leader had hoped to inaugurate the Narendra Modi Temple on Sunday in the leader's home state of Gujurat, but they have had to abandon the idea due to Mr Modi's opposition to it. The leader was said to have been horrified by the idea of a temple in his name. His supporters have already unveiled a statue of Modi, which has him in a seated position under the symbol of his political party the BJP. Modi tweeted: "I was appalled. This is shocking and against India's great traditions. Building such temples is not what our culture teaches us."
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There is now a discussion going on regarding what to do with the temple and statue. Some supporters have suggested replacing the statue of Mr Modi with the figure of a Hindu god. Others insist Modi's statue remains as the leader is still worthy of being honoured. Paresh Rawal, an edible oil trader who donated the land for the temple, said: "We love Modi and worship him because he is the finest leader we have ever had." Another supporter, Ramesh Undhad, told the AFP news agency: "We believe he is an incarnation of God as after he became chief minister of Gujarat, things changed for the better." Modi suggested people should use their time and resources in working towards a cleaner India.
Sources:
- http://news.sky.com/story/1426159/indian-pm-calls-halt-to-temple-dedication
- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-31433695
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-idol-covered-inauguration-cancelled-after-PM-tweets-against-it/articleshow/46210645.cms
