Modi lays foundation stone for Ayodhya temple, says ‘long wait has ended’, South Asia

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (Aug 5) said “a long wait had ended” after laying the foundation stone for the construction of a temple for Lord Ram on a site that has been controversial for centuries. Construction of the temple in the city of Ayodhya, a longstanding promise of Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), began nine months after the Supreme Court handed over the site to Hindu groups and provided alternate land to Muslims for a mosque which once stood in the area. “Many are amazed this has happened in their lifetime… A decades-long wait…