Celebrate Diwali in Mumbai on Jan 22 for Ram temple inauguration: CM to BMC

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday asked the Mumbai civic commissioner to put up decorative lights on temples and buildings here and "celebrate Diwali" on January 22, the day of consecration of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya in UP.

Speaking at a cleanliness drive in Mumbai, CM Shinde said, "The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22. I want to ask to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner to celebrate Diwali across Mumbai city. Let there be lots of decorative lightings on all the temples and buildings in Mumbai."

The chief minister said the Ram temple was a dream of (Shiv Sena founder) late Balasaheb Thackeray and several devotees of Lord Ram.

"Modiji made the dream (of building the Ram temple) into a reality. What PM Modi speaks, he ensures to make it a reality. Be it the Railways or airports, he implements his promises. Everyone accepts Modi's guarantees," Shinde said.

On Sunday, deep cleaning initiatives were undertaken at 10 places in Mumbai as part of the government's ongoing drive to bring down the air pollution in the state capital and make it clean.