Plan for temple to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scrapped

Fans of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday scrapped plans to open a Hindu temple in his honour after Modi said he was "appalled" by the idea.

Modi supporters had invested thousands of dollars in the temple in his home state of Gujarat, which houses a large statue of the charismatic leader - a famously natty dresser - and was due to open on Sunday.

But they decided to rededicate the temple to "Mother India" after the prime minister strongly criticised the plan, saying it went against the country's traditions.

"We had built the temple to express our love and faith in Modiji," said project organiser Ramesh Udhad, using an Indian honorific to describe the prime minister. "But if he is unhappy or hurt by our gesture, we will remove his statue."

Udhad said Sunday's opening ceremony had been cancelled and the statue of Modi, who appears dressed in his trademark collarless jacket and a saffron sash, covered with a tarpaulin.

"Building such temples is not what our culture teaches us," Modi tweeted earlier yesterday.