Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi is likely to attend the Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya that is scheduled to be held on January 22, party leader Digvijaya Singh said on Thursday.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Singh said that Sonia Gandhi is “very positive” over the invitation extended to her by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, and that she or a party delegation would attend the event.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi received invitations from a delegation on behalf of the of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, reported The Indian Express.
Nripendra Misra, Chairman, Ram Mandir Construction Committee, and ex-officio member of the Trust, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sampark Pramukh Ram Lal and VHP international working president Alok Kumar met the Congress leaders and invited them, sources told IE.
Invitations were also sent to former Prime Minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh.On being asked if he has been invited, Digvijaya Singh said that he has not been invited to the ceremony.
“They will not invite me because they are not inviting the true devotees. Whether it be Murli Manohar Joshi, Lal Krishna Advani or Digvijay Singh, they will not be given the invitation.”
Preparations are in full swing at Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would address a gathering of roughly 8,000 people.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirath Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22, 2024 in Ayodhya, which is considered by many to be the birthplace of Ram Lalla.
The secretary of the trust, Champat Rai, on Monday, said that the guest list for the ceremony has been “carefully crafted”, which includes Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, industrialists Gautam Adani, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, among others.
Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, next year, a week before the main ceremony. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav, reported ANI.