The patience, restraint and maturity displayed by the people after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ayodhya case proves that there is nothing bigger than national interest for Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
He also said that after the "historic verdict", the country has moved ahead on a new path, with a new resolve.
"The resolve … full of new hopes and aspirations. It is my hope and wish that New India imbibes this feeling and forges ahead in a spirit of peace, unity and goodwill," he said in the latest edition of his monthly "Mann ki Baat" radio programme.
Settling a fractious issue that goes back more than a century, the Supreme Court in a historic verdict on November 9 backed the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the holy town.
In his last Mann ki Baat address on Diwali, Modi had referred to the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment on the Ayodhya issue.
He had recalled how the government, civil society and people had maintained peace and harmony back then.
"This time too, when the Supreme Court pronounced its judgment on November 9, 130 crore Indians once again proved, that for them, national interest is supreme. The values of peace, unity and goodwill are paramount in our country," he said.
He said the SC verdict was "embraced with open arms."
"They accepted the verdict with ease and with peace... I am particularly grateful to them for the patience, restraint and maturity shown by them," he said.
The prime minister was of the view that while on the one hand, a protracted legal battle has ended, on the other, the respect for the judiciary has grown in the country.
"In the truest sense, this verdict has also proved to be a milestone for the judiciary in our country," he said.
Hours after the verdict was delivered, the prime minister had addressed the nation to thank people for the maturity shown by them.
No power can stop Ram temple construction in Ayodhya: Rajnath
Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said no power in the world could get in the way of construction of a "grand" Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Addressing a poll meeting in Pandu in Bishrampur assembly constituency for Jharkhad assembly election, the minister also noted that the Rafale fighter jets, acquired by the country from France, were capable of destroying terror camps across the border.
Amid "Jai Shree Ram" chants, he said, "A grand Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya and no power in the world can stop that from happening. The path for construction of the temple has been cleared by the Supreme Court."
Talking about the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, the veteran BJP leader said, "In 1952, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor to the BJP) had said that there cannot be two Constitutions, two prime ministers and two flags in one country. We have fulfilled his dream and lived up to the promise made in our poll manifesto."
Condemning the Maoist violence over the past two days in the poll-bound state, he said, the BJP governments at the Centre and the state would give a befitting reply to those responsible for the attack.
"I have seen a couple of incidents happening in Jharkhand. You should be rest assured that the BJP governments at the Centre and the state will not allow anybody to use guns. A befitting reply will be given to them," he insisted.
Left-wing extremists killed four state police personnel in Latehar district and gunned down two persons, including a local BJP leader, in Palamu district in separate ambushes on Friday and Saturday.
Slamming the Congress, Singh said that the party's efforts to taint the reputation of the central government with corruption allegations failed to bear any fruit.
"The allegations of corruption in Rafale deal were aimed at maligning the government's image. The Congress tried hard... but its efforts were futile. I visited France to receive the fighter jet and also flew a sortie in one of the aircraft," the defence minister asserted.
He said the country had sent out a clear message that it would not cower in the face of terrorism.
"Rafale fighter jets are coming to India. We do not need to cross the borders now. We can use Rafale from our own territory to target terror camps across the border. That is the power India has achieved under the Narendra Modi government," the veteran BJP leader contended.
