• By Vivek Raj
  • Thu, 26 Oct 2023 01:52 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, has sparked controversy, drawing questions from opposition leaders, who wonder if the event is turning into a party affair ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

A day after PM Modi received an invitation to Ram Temple’s inauguration, Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Thursday raised concerns over whether the invitation was exclusively extended to one party, saying, "Is the invitation going to just one party? I cannot comment on who would reach and who would not. But is God now limited to one party? The invitation should be for everyone... It is being made into a program of just one party. Is this a party program or related to only one person?... Invitations should have been sent to everyone.”

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Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a formal invitation for the consecration ceremony of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.

 

Shiv Sena (Uddhav) leader Sanjay Raut also slammed the BJP and said, "Ram Mandir was supposed to be built. Thousands of karsevaks have given their lives for it. All Hindutvavadi organisations and parties were involved. Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad were there. LK Advani took out a Rath Yatra. It is the result of all of this that Ram Mandir is being built. This is why PM Modi would go and perform prayers but I think that this is the preparation of the elections."

Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamalnath also joined the list in attacking PM Modi and said "Does the Ram Mandir belong to the BJP? It belongs to everyone in our country. It is a very big symbol of our Sanatana Dharma. I am very happy that the Ram Mandir is finally being built."

Champat Rai, the General Secretary of Ram Janambhoomi Trust, confirmed that the installation of the idol of Lord Ram at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya is scheduled for January 22 next year.

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The construction of the temple has been advancing steadily under the oversight of the Trust, with the foundation stone laid by PM Modi on August 5, 2020. The Supreme Court's 2019 verdict on the Ayodhya dispute paved the way for this significant construction project.