Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, while several opposition leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray have some other plans for the day.
The Congress turned down the invitation for the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla. Senior Congress leaders–Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury–have ‘declined’ the invitation to the grand event in Ayodhya.
Ayodhya wore a festive look and was decked up with vibrant petals on Thursday, as it awaited the return of Lord Ram after an exile spanning 500 years.
Rahul Gandhi’s Assam visit
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Bordowa Satra in Assam’s Nagaon district, the birthplace of Sri Sankardev on Pran Pratishtha day, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.
“January 22 is the ninth day of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. At 7 am, Rahul Gandhi will be going to Bordowa Satra in Nagaon district, which is the birthplace of Sri Sri Sankardev, and pay his tributes to him,” Jairam Ramesh told ANI.
Mamata announces ‘harmony rally’ in Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday that she will lead a ‘rally for harmony’ in Kolkata on January 22, the day on which the Ram temple consecration ceremony will be held in Ayodhya.
Banerjee, the chief of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), said she would begin the procession from the Hazra crossing in south Kolkata after paying obeisance to Goddess Kali at the Kalighat temple.
Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav to visit later
In response, Pawar has been more reserved, thanking for the invitation but stating that he would not be going because “it will be easier to get darshan” following the “historic event”. “By that time, the construction of the Ram Temple will also be finished,” he stated, making a subtle jab at the BJP.
Arvind Kejriwal’s Goa plan
Arvind Kejriwal is currently on his three-day Goa visit amid preparations for the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishta ceremony. Senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj however indicated that the Delhi CM was likely to visit the religious site at a time of his choosing. It is pertinent to mention that the AAP supremo has not yet been invited.
Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Aarti
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has not received an invitation to the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. Hence, Thackeray announced that he would visit the Kalaram Temple in Nashik and perform a “maha aarti” with his party leaders on January 22.
Lalu Prasad’s plan to skip Pan Pratishtha
Former Chief Minister of Bihar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday said that he will not attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya that is scheduled to take place on January 22. “I will not go to Ayodhya to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple,” Yadav said. However, he has not cited any specific reason for attending the event.
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Published: 20 Jan 2024, 12:40 PM IST