New Delhi [India], January 10 (ANI): Calling the Ram Temple inauguration an event of the
BJP and RSS, Congress has turned down the invitation for the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony
of Lord Ram Lalla, scheduled later this month in Ayodhya.
The senior Congress leaders–Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury–have ‘declined! the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party’s
general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.
“Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha
Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi
and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at
Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024,” he said in the statement.
“Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But
the RSS/BIP 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. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court
judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have
respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” it added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at
the grand temple on January 22. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting from January 16.
Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January
22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. The Shri Ram
Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-
sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-
Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.
A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the
consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22,
Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds
great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for the people of India.
This article was orginally published on ANI news!
