Lord Rama flags, prasad, laddoos... BJP ready for grand saffron celebration in Punjab

Chandigarh, June 3

The BJP is all set to celebrate with flags bearing Lord Rama’s image if the party wins considerable seats in the Punjab LS elections tomorrow.

Big religious touch

• A number of Muktsar residents said they had received a packet containing a pouch of prasad and a Lord Rama flag from a local temple, with a request to put it atop their houses after a favourable election result
• In Patiala, the RSS and the BJP have already distributed a replica of Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya, prasad and a flag bearing Lord Hanuman’s image in various parts of the district
• Naresh Mittal of Lovely Sweets reported preparing 4,000 to 5,000 kg of laddoos, compared to the usual 2,000 kg daily

Encouraged by the exit polls, BJP workers in Muktsar town have distributed among the public prasad from the Ayodhya temple and flags with Lord Rama’s image to be installed atop houses on Tuesday to make it a grand celebration.

“We are just awaiting the election results. There will be flags of Lord Rama and chanting of jo Ram ko laaye hain, hum unko layenge. The celebrations will double if the party candidate from Ferozepur also wins,” said Rajesh Pathela ‘Gora’, BJP’s former president of Muktsar district.

A number of residents said they had received a packet containing a pouch of prasad and a Lord Rama flag from a local temple, with a request to put it atop their houses after a favourable election result.

In Patiala, days before the polls, the RSS along with the BJP cadre started a campaign to distribute a replica of Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya, prasad and a flag along with a picture of Lord Hanuman in the district. While all Sangh Parivar organisations had distributed all the items in November and December in 2023, these were again distributed last month. “We distributed prasad along with flags of the Ayodhya temple and some other religious literature”, said senior RSS leader Pawan Singla and BJP vice-president from Patiala Varun Jindal. “This had nothing to do with the elections. It was part of the campaign to connect with more Hindu families in Patiala,” Jindal said.

He further added that they had distributed over 12,000 such kits in various temples and to devotees in Patiala city.

The BJP offices in Jalandhar district were bustling with activity on Monday. About 70,000 flags bearing images of Lord Ram arrived from Ayodhya, alongside 60,000 packets of prasad containing gur chickpeas for distribution among temples, BJP supporters and key localities. Over 100,000 party flags bearing the BJP’s symbol have also been distributed across the district.

Yogesh, a BJP worker, mentioned that most of the Lord Rama flags had already been distributed, with the final batch’s delivery in the evening. Local sweet shops have increased the production in anticipation of a high demand.

However, the RSS has no plans for the celebrations tomorrow. “Celebrations or mourning is not an RSS tradition. No doubt we shall be happy from within if the BJP wins in the poll results, but it will not get reflected anywhere on the ground,” said an RSS functionary.

(With inputs from Archit Watts, Deepkamal Kaur, Avneet Kaur & Aman Sood)