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Hundreds of his followers in the western city of Rajkot
donated funds for a temple that features a seated statue of Modi
and is topped out with a wind gauge shaped like a lotus, the
symbol of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"I was appalled," Modi said. "This is shocking and against
India's great traditions. Building such temples is not what our
culture teaches us."
Modi's reaction unnerved some of those involved in the temple
project, who plan to replace the statue of the prime minister
with the idol of a Hindu god, but others were unfazed.
"We love Modi and worship him because he is the finest leader we
have ever had," said Paresh Rawal, an edible oil trader who
donated the land for the temple.
Modi, the former leader of Gujarat state, where the temple is
located, swept to power last year in the biggest national
election victory in three decades, and has since led his party
to a string of state poll wins.
But the BJP suffered a dramatic election defeat in the capital
this week, when it was trounced by an upstart anti-corruption
party.
(Reporting by Rupam Jain Nair; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and
Clarence Fernandez)
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