Kolkata, 6 April

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Ram Temple at Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district on the occasion of Ram Navami.

Adhikari is the BJP MLA from Nandigram, which had seen a prolonged anti-land acquisition movement by the Trinamool Congress in 2007 during the Left Front rule.

The foundation stone for the Ram Temple was laid at Sonachura village, where at least seven people, protesting land acquisition by the local administration, had died in firing by miscreants on 6 January, 2007.

Amid loud chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' by supporters and devotees, Adhikari, draped in saffron colours, laid the foundation of the temple.

'We are peace-loving people; we will never do anything that will tantamount to breaking the law,' Adhikari told reporters after the event.

Noting that the devotees were engaged in puja and devotional songs in praise of Lord Ram, he said this has been the traditional way of celebrating Ram Navami for thousands of years.

'There was no requirement to create the hype around the celebrations,' the senior BJP leader said, referring to the politically charged atmosphere in the state over Ram Navami.

Adhikari said that Lord Ram is a symbol of trust and faith for Hindus, and that the temple will soon come up at Sonachura.

Earlier, the senior BJP leader arrived at the proposed temple site from Shahid Minar in Sonachura, leading a Ram Navami rally.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also scheduled to inaugurate a Jagannath Temple later this month at the seaside resort town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district.