NEW DELHI: In a major political development, the Congress party has decided to skip the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya slated to be held on January 22. According to a statement released by the political party, ”The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been 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,” the statement said.
It may be recalled that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were earlier invited to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to be held on January 22.
The invitations to them were sent individually. Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also been invited. The process of sending the invites is on and in the coming days, more opposition leaders will receive the invites.
According to reports, Sonia Gandhi and Kharge were invited by a delegation associated with the Ram Temple construction, including Nripendra Mishra. Former president Pratibha Patil and heads of all political parties have been invited.
While the chiefs of all national political parties have been invited to the inauguration ceremony, chief ministers and governors are not on the invitee list though many chief ministers are the heads of the political parties.
Heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi, and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions, Spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, actors Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arun Govil, film director Madhur Bhandarkar and industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, famous painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO Director Nilesh Desai have been invited to the event.
