PM Modi to lay foundation stone for Sant Ravidas temple in MP today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday lay the foundation stone for a temple dedicated to the 14th century mystic poet and social reformer Sant Ravidas in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Khajuraho from New Delhi and reach Badtuma area in Sagar district around 2 p.m. to lay the foundation stone for a temple and a museum. Half an hour later, he will reach the venue of the public meeting near the Dhana airstrip, about 20 km from Badtuma.

The BJP is expecting up to two lakh people to attend the Prime Minister's rally and the foundation laying ceremony for the temple dedicated to Sant Ravidas, who enjoys a nationwide following, especially among a section of Dalits.

A much-highlighted project of the state government worth over Rs 100 crore is being executed ahead of the elections in Bundelkhand region (particularly Sagar district) where a predominant population of the Ahirwar-SC caste, accounting for 20-25 per cent of total voters.

The two programmes will also mark the culmination of the ruling party's ongoing 'Samrasta (harmony) Yatras', seen as an attempt by the saffron outfit to reach out to Dalits ahead of the crucial polls.

"It has been our good fortune that we have got the opportunity to cherish and nurture the legacy of Saint Ravidas ji, who inspired a harmonious and prosperous society. In this series, during my visit to Madhya Pradesh tomorrow afternoon, I will participate in the programmes related to the construction of their memorial sites in Sagar and Dhana," PM Modi's message on social media read.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Madhya Pradesh has always been the centre of India's cultural and spiritual consciousness. "I have full faith that this project will prove to be a milestone in popularising the education and thoughts of Sant Ravidas ji. This huge memorial, which will take shape in 12 acres of land at a cost of more than Rs 100 crore, will have many structures including museum, library, corresponding auditorium."

Earlier, the state BJP unit had started five yatras in 46 out of the 52 districts of the state, carrying soil from villages and water from rivers for foundation of the temple. All these yatras would be concluded with the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Notably, the Dalits constitute 16 per cent of the state's population. Out of the total 230 seats, 35 are SC reserved seats in the Bundelkhand and adjoining Gwalior-Chambal and Vindhya regions. Bundelkhand region (particularly Sagar district) houses a predominant population of the Ahirwar-SC caste, accounting for 20-25 per cent of total voters.

In the 2013 elections, when the BJP had won 165 seats, it had emerged victorious on 28 or 80 per cent of these 35 seats, while the Congress could manage just four seats, followed by BSP three seats. But five years later in 2018 polls, the BJP's tally on the 35 SC reserved seats dropped to just 18, while the Congress' count jumped more than four times to 17 seats.