Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the crowd at his election rallies in Rajasthan to knock at each and every home in their area and convey his “Ram, Ram” greetings to the people while home minister Amit Shah promised free travel to Ayodhya for “Ram Lalla darshan” if the BJP was voted to power.

Modi and Shah addressed three rallies each and then led roadshows in Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur, respectively, urging the voters to drive out the “corrupt” Congress indulging in “appeasement and nepotism” and elect a BJP government in the state. Rajasthan votes on November 25.

Apart from concentrating on slamming the Congress, the two leaders sought to play the Hindutva card and sway the voters by using the proposed inauguration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in January next year. While Modi made an oblique reference by using the popular “Ram Ram” greeting, Shah put it directly, telling the voters to elect a BJP government in the state and get a free trip to Ayodhya.

“I want to request you to do one personal work for me. It is personal and not election-related. Will you do?...” Modi asked the crowd at two rallies in Baran and Kota. He repeated it a couple of times till the crowd shouted a loud “yes”.

“Go to each and every home in your area and tell the people that ‘apne Modi ji’ (our Modi) had come here and he has asked us to convey his ‘Ram Ram’ to you all,” he said, again and again asking the crowd, “Will you do it for me?” Ram Ram, Jai Siya Ram and Sita-Ram are popular greetings people use in Hindi heartland states and Modi appeared to be playing on them, obliquely hinting at the upcoming inauguration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya in January next year.

Addressing a rally in Sikar district, home minister Amit Shah pointedly accused the Congress of obstructing the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya for 70 years and credited Modi for clearing all hurdles to pave the way for the construction of the grand temple.

“Rahul baba used to ask when the temple would be constructed. I want to tell him that on January 22, exactly at 12:22 pm, Modi ji will perform the consecration rituals of Ram Lalla,” Shah said amid “Jai Shri Ram” chants.

Shah then went to ask the crowd wouldn’t they like to get an auspicious sight of the deity and the crowd shouted back “yes”. “Travelling to Ayodhya involves a cost. So, I want to tell you that just elect a BJP government here and the government will arrange for a free visit for ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla,” he stressed amid a big applause from the crowd.

Shah claimed that for 500 years Ram was banished from his birthplace and the Modi government has ensured the deity’s respectful home-coming. He also referred to the destruction of Hindu temples by Mughal rulers like Aurangzeb and credited Modi for restoring the glory of Kashi Vishwanath, Somnath and other Hindu temples.

The BJP and the other wings of the wider Sangh parivar have been gearing up to turn the inauguration of the Ram temple into a mega event across the country, eyeing to generate a Hindutva frenzy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls next year.