New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated 130 crore Indians during the Ram temple ‘bhoomi pujan’. Shashi Tharoor however, pointed out that India’s population is over 138 crore. Hence the omission of eight crore people was worrying factor for many after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and talk of National Register of Citizens (NRC). Tharoor said that if the ‘omission’ was inadvertent, ‘a correction would be reassuring’.
“PM Modi congratulated 130 crore Indians when he spoke at the Ram Mandir yesterday. But India’s population is estimated at 1,38,00,04,385 in mid-2020, according to UN data,” Tharoor said in a tweet Thursday. “An omission of 8 crore people is worrying to many, after CAA/NRC. If inadvertent, a correction would be reassuring,” Tharoor added.
Also read: PM Modi gives speech after performing ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Ayodhya Ram temple
Modi addressed the nation on the occasion of laying of the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The ‘bhoomi pujan’ took place Wednesday. Modi said that several generations have made self-less sacrifices for several centuries for the construction of the Ram Temple.
“I, on behalf of the 130 crore people of the country, salute them and bow before them for their sacrifices. These sacrifices have led to the foundation of the Ram temple,” Modi had said.