Promising to bring in corporate culture to the municipal corporation, Pushyamitra Bhargava left his high-profile legal career to become the mayor of Indore in 2022. Now, he is in the spotlight for directing all malls and shops in the city to install replicas of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and issuing a warning that residents 'know how to respond to those who fail to cooperate.

He wrote to all shopkeepers and mall administrations two weeks ago, telling them to install the replicas between January 15 and January 22, as reported by IndianExpress.

Bhargava said, 'I want to tell these people that if Santa Claus and Christmas trees can be installed from December 25 to January 2, and you have no objection to that, then no one should have any objection to installing a replica of the Ram Mandir.'

'If some do not cooperate… without any reason, then the people of Indore know how to respond to them. This is the work of Ram. It is work for Ram Rajya. I don't think anyone should have any objection to this,' he said.

Before joining politics, Bhargava served as the youngest additional advocate general of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Born and raised in Indore, he holds an M.Phil degree and an LL.M in law from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, School of Law, Indore, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in law. He has a diploma in cyber law from Government Law College, Mumbai, and a certificate course in journalism and mass communication from Allahabad University. During his student days, he was active in the ABVP, the BJP's student wing.