New Delhi: Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, who spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, has decided to attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on 22 January, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar has said.
There was uncertainty about Advani’s presence at the event after Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (Ram Temple Trust) general secretary Champat Rai had told the media that the 96-year-old leader and Murli Manohar Joshi had been requested not to attend the ceremony, keeping their advanced age and health conditions in mind.
However, soon after this, senior VHP leaders and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had extended invitations to both leaders for the big ticket event.
“Advaniji ne toh hamein kaha hai ki woh aayenge (Advani has told us he will come),” Alok Kumar told ThePrint Tuesday.
“When we went to meet him, we asked what arrangements should be made taking his age into consideration. It is possible that he may not be in a state to sit for the entire ceremony. Maybe a doctor would be required to be there. So all those logistics were worked out,” he added.
“We told his family that his attending the pran pratistha is important. Woh is ladai ke sabse aage the. Unki rath yatra ne desh mein vatavaran paida kiya tha aur unka svastha jaisa hai vaisa hi raha toh vo aayenge (He was at the forefront of this fight. His rath yatra created the environment in the country. If his health condition remains stable, he will come),” Kumar further said.
The trust earlier invited Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too, but they are yet to confirm their participation. According to sources, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Nitish Kumar are also likely to be invited.
“Our list of invitees includes presidents of major political parties,” said Kumar.
Earlier Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav had said he will perform a ‘Maha Aarti’ on the banks of the Godavari in Nashik and visit Kalaram temple at Panchavati where Hindu god Ram is said to have lived during his exile. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had earlier said that Uddhav had not been invited.
Ayodhya is getting decked up for the ‘pran pratishtha’, which will take place on 22 January in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Around 7,000 people in total are set to be invited. Among them are 10 kar sewaks who had contributed Rs 100 for the temple, a few labourers who were involved in the construction, and some family members of kar sewaks who lost their lives during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, sources said.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)