With the ‘pran prathistha’ (consecration) ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which will see the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other BJP leaders, Opposition parties of the INDIA bloc have also planned events for the day, although they have turned down the invitations to attend the consecration ceremony.
Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, received invitations for the January 22 event. However, they had “respectfully declined” it, saying that “the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is undertaking the Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, and is currently in the Assam leg of the Yatra will be visiting Batadrawa Than, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva, on the consecration ceremony day.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh maintained that Gandhi will visit the Than in Assam’s Nagaon district as planned and urged that “no politics should be done over it”. He said Gandhi will visit the Than on Monday morning and then commence the day’s Yatra, during which he will travel through Morigaon district before entering neighbouring Meghalaya.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is also an ally of the INDIA bloc, will take out a “shobha yatra” in Delhi tomorrow and organise community kitchens across the city. The Arvind Kejriwal-led government is also organising a three-day Ramlila event at Pearey Lal Bhawan that commenced on Saturday.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced that she will lead an inter-faith rally in Kolkata on January 22. She said that she would start the visit from Kalighat temple in Kolkata and then start the “Sarba Dharma” rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan.
“I will first visit the Kali Mandir on my own. Then I will do an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” Mamata had said earlier this week.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose father Balasaheb Thackeray was part of the Ram Mandir movement, said that he will visit the Kalaram Temple in Nashik. He will be in Nashik for a two-day visit. Uddhav Thackeray was sent the invitation by speed post for the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.
Samajwadi chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav said he would visit the Janeshwar Mishra Park to pay tribute to the late socialist leader on his death anniversary, while the Janata Dal (United) is organising a three-day event from January 22 to 24 to mark the birth anniversary of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur.