Overview
- Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise as he campaigned in Sitamarhi, calling a 2017 statement to the Rajya Sabha an insult to Bihar’s faith and Mithila’s identity.
- In the 2017 reply, then culture minister Mahesh Sharma said Sita’s birthplace was a matter of faith without archaeological proof and noted the ASI had not excavated Sitamarhi.
- Ramesh cited development grievances, including a February 2025 textiles ministry reply stating no PM-MITRA park for Bihar is approved or planned through 2027–28 and a December 2024 reconsideration proposal that he says drew no action.
- He also highlighted the railways’ August 7, 2024 cancellation of the Motihari–Sheohar–Sitamarhi line and claimed Sitamarhi received no funds under PRASHAD and was neglected under Swadesh Darshan.
- At a rally in Purnea, Amit Shah announced that he and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar laid the foundation for a ₹850-crore Sita temple in Sitamarhi, while Modi addressed a meeting in Sitamarhi and spoke of efforts to renovate Punaura Dham.