With just two days for the inauguration of 'Mahakal Lok', an expanded part of Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government is busy making the occasion a mega event.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh monitoring all preparations.
As per the state government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the newly developed corridor of Mahakaleshwar temple named - 'Mahakal Lok' at 6:30 pm on October 11.
Prime Minister Modi, on the occasion, will also address a large gathering of devotees, including BJP workers following the inauguration.
As the inauguration of 'Mahakal Lok' would be probably the biggest event ahead of assembly elections in 2023, the ruling BJP seems to leave no stone unturned to make the occasion kick-start its campaign for the upcoming state assembly elections.
The opposition Congress also joined in the race to take credit for the project, which is being developed under the 'Shri Mahakal Maharaj Vikas Yojana' of the Madhya Pradesh government. The state Congress claimed that the project was initiated during the 15-month tenure of the Kamal Nath-led state government.
"We are making this claim with facts, which is in the public domain. This is an auspicious occasion for all of us but the fact is that the project was first initiated during the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. He had visited Ujjain in August 2019 where he had announced the allocation of Rs 300 crore for this mega project. As a result, the work started with the establishment of a facility centre for pilgrims in December 2019. Not only this, but the Kamal Nath government had allocated Rs 156 crore for the Omkareshwar temple. We are putting facts and not taking credit out of it. Mahakal knows all facts, so there should be no hide and seek," said Sangeeta Sharma, vice-president of Madhya Congress media cell.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to people to change the display picture of their social media accounts with 'Mahakal Lok' in a show of faith. In fact, the display pictures and background of all government websites, and social media accounts have already been changed with the same. Amid all these, controversy broke out when Ujjain Municipal Commissioner Ansul Gupta, who was supervising the entire preparation, was suddenly transferred and another official was assigned the task.
Notably, the 'Mahakal Lok' has been designed with a new aura, which gives a glimpse of the entire cultural heritage of Ujjain. "Due to this many possibilities of tourism in Ujjain and Madhya Pradesh will increase at the international level. The city of Ujjain is already recognised all over the world as a cultural heritage, but with the construction of the Mahakal Lok, it will become the centre of attraction around the globe and will give a new identity to the entire state, the state government said.
On September 30, the Chief Minister had said, "After Kedarnath and Kashi Vishwanath, it would be a special occasion for Lord Shiva's devotees to witness the extension of Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 'Sri Mahakal Lok' at 6 p.m. on October 11. People visiting here will find a glimpse of Shiva Leela."
