Surender Jain, the Joint General Secretary of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), criticized the Congress for declining an invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple on January 22, stating that they cannot engage in politics by objecting to Lord Ram. In an interview with ANI, Jain remarked on the division within the Congress regarding their participation in the Pran Pratishta ceremony for the Ram Lalla Idol in Ayodhya.
Jain noted, “Congress has become divided into 2 groups now; one group is of those who know that they can’t do politics by objecting to Lord Ram and the second group is of those who target minority votes…Therefore, they’re in an illusion. They can’t do politics by objecting to Lord Ram.”
As Ayodhya gears up for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Shri Ram Lala at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi on January 22, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspected the arrangements, expressing satisfaction with the planning and execution.
The decision by opposing parties of the India bloc to snub the invitation to the January 12 Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony has sparked a political controversy just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Leaders like Sitaram Yechury, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have declined the invitation, and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has also deferred his visit to the temple.
The idol of Ram Lalla was ceremoniously placed in the ‘Garbha Griha’ of the Ram Temple amid joyous chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ A special puja was conducted in the sanctum sanctorum before the idol was brought inside with the help of a crane on Wednesday night, serving as a significant prelude to the upcoming ceremony.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya’s temple is scheduled for January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the rituals and a team of priests, headed by Lakshmikant Dixit, overseeing the main ceremonies.