Minister for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Saurabh Bharadwaj, stated that while it is important to visit the Ayodhya temple, it is not necessary to visit on the day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present, just days before the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, responded, “I’m not sure about this.” While I think it’s important to travel, I don’t think it’s necessary to go to Ayodhya at the same time as PM Modi. People can go whenever they want to because they are there to see Lord Ram.”
Bharadwaj was speaking of the grand opening of the temple on January 22, to which a number of leaders of the ruling and opposition parties have been invited. Notably, the AAP claims that the chief minister of Delhi has not received an invitation to the event.
Congress turns down SP’s invitation to attend
The Congress, the Trinamool Congress, and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance—allies of the AAP—have chosen not to attend the function, despite the AAP having not yet made an official statement on the subject. Both parties declared that they were against combining “politics with religion” and referred to the gathering on January 22 as a “BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) -RSS” event.
The opposition accuses the Modi government of using the temple as a political football in advance of the Lok Sabha elections, which are expected to take place in April or May. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, or RJD, is another ally of the INDIA bloc and has also distanced itself from the event. Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, had earlier declared his intention to attend.
Notably, CM Kejriwal and an AAP leader had earlier taken part in a “Sundar Kand” recital program that was held in each of Delhi’s 70 assembly constituencies. During the program, they prayed to Lord Ram and Hanuman for the nation’s progress and peace. This coincides with the AAP’s announcement on Monday that recital programmes for “Sundar Kand” and “Hanuman Chalisa” will be held in each assembly constituency, ward, and zone.
