Mahesh Sharma denies political agenda, says Ram museum will 'improve tourism'

New Delhi [India], Oct.18 (ANI): Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has downplayed the political uproar created by the announcement of the allocation of huge funds for the building a Ram Museum in Ayodhya. He said it is being taken to give a boost to tourism in India. "Elections are a different thing. Our Prime Minister wants that the nation should develop through all means and similarly he wants development of our country through tourism, and this step will attract tourists," Sharma told ANI. "When our government came to power, so, from the tourism perspective, we announced plans for theme based circuits, which included a Ram circuit, a Krishna circuit and a Buddha circuit. And under that announcement for Ramayan circuit, the government announced Rs.225 crore, for the Krishna circuit Rs.15 crore and similar amount for the Buddha circuit," he added. Sharma further said the Ram museum will educate the youth about Ramayan and Lord Ram. "Ayodhya is known by the name of Lord Ram. A lot of people impose their faiths in Ayodhya. We want that the infrastructure should be developed there. We want to build a museum on Ramayana and the life of Lord Ram there so that our young generation visits the place and learns from it," he said. According to reports, Sharma is expected travel to Ayodhya next week to discuss the blueprint for the museum. He is also scheduled to visit the site of the proposed museum that is expected to come up on 25 acres. (ANI)