Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have asked his cabinet colleagues to refrain from showing aggression ahead of the Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration ceremony scheduled to be held on January 22. The Prime Minister’s remarks came in the form of strict directives, asking them to avoid making any unwarranted statements and refrain from showing aggression.
As part of the instructions, issued at a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Monday, the Prime Minister also asked cabinet ministers to ensure peace and harmony in their constituencies. The ministers have also been asked to facilitate the visit of locals from the ministers’ respective regions to Ayodhya after January 22.
The consecration ceremony will have a host of eminent personalities who have been invited as guests to attend the opening of the Ram Temple. The event, which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, will also have several celebrities in attendance. As many as 7,000 invitations have been sent out by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust for the consecration ceremony. PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are among leaders expected to address the event which will be telecast live in India and abroad.
With Ram Temple being a core agenda of the BJP and the Sangh, the BJP has drawn out an elaborate campaign around it — both in the lead-up to the consecration ceremony as well as beyond it. While the lead-up to the consecration ceremony is witnessing a door-to-door campaign at district and booth levels, the campaign following the inauguration will include facilitating travel of locals from around the country to Ayodhya.
The event marks a significant milestone for the BJP which has been at the helm of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Coming just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is hopeful that the Ram Temple inauguration is expected to yield rich dividends for the party at poll hustings.