Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat says, "This is a fortunate occasion that I will be able to witness this grand affair (Pran Pratistha ceremony in Ayodhya)...Everyone won't be able to come, only those who have received the invitation will come, but there is enthusiasm in every parts of the country...".
International Working President of VHP Alok Kumar on Wednesday said that BJP veteran L K Advani will attend the Ram Temple Pran Pratistha ceremony on January 22 in Ayodhya.
Ayodhya Ram Temple Construction Committee Chairman, Nripendra Mishra and International Working President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Alok Kumar gave an invitation to the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony to the RSS Mohan Bhagwat on Jan 10, 2024.
Close on the heels of Congress announcement that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-party president Sonia Gandhi and floor leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Jan 22 mega event, several BJP leaders slammed the grand old party.
Union Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur flayed the grand old party's decision, saying the people will boycott the opposition party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"The behaviour, character and face of the Congress can never change. This is the same Congress, which had given an affidavit calling Shri Ram imaginary. This is the same Congress, which had promised we will build Babri Masjid again at the same place," Thakur said.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who humbled Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2019 polls, says, "Congress party's anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation.
"...Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Congress, INDI Alliance has insulted Sanatan Dharma again and again. Now, the declining of the invitation to the 'pran-pratishtha' by leaders of the INDI Alliance reflects their anti-Sanatan mindset."
"Could we expect anything different from Sonia Gandhi ? But, I must say that Sonia Gandhi has shown that she has no faith in Lord Ram,” Ms Irani said.
It took days and hours of predicament. Finally, the top Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi and floor leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have 'respectfully declined' the Ram Temple consecration ceremony invite.
"Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain," the party said in a statement.
"While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event," it added.
It is learnt that leaders such as KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh led the pack in arguing that the Congress's presence at the Ram Mandir event would give a boost to BJP.
The Congress insiders say the party is not in favour of making Ram temple a potent poll plank for the saffron party in the crucial 2024 battle. However, some leaders had reportedly favoured Kharge and other leaders attending the event.
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| Advani to attend Jan 22 event |
It goes without saying that the stance taken by the communists and others also influenced the Congress decision,
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went on record to term it as a BJP’s "gimmick show". “Yesterday, I was asked to comment on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as if I have nothing else to do. I said that religion belongs to individuals but festivals are for all. I believe only in those festivities that unite people," she said.
"Ravana had also lost his mind in Treta Yug" is back in India today, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari was quoted as saying by a section of media.
ends
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