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Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi took an indirect jibe at the CPI (M) decision to skip the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.
Speaking to ANI, Union Minister Lekhi said, "The invitations have been sent to all. Those called by Lord Ram will only reach (Ayodhya, for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at Ram Temple)." Earlier in the day, senior CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat said that her party would skip the grand consecration ceremony. Defending the decision to give the grand consecration ceremony, which is to be headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a miss, the veteran Left leader said her party doesn't subscribe to combining religion with politics, nor does it stand for the 'politicisation' of a religious event. "Our party will not attend the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. We respect the religious sentiments of the people but they (BJP) are combining religion with politics. This is an attempt to politicise a religious programme. This is not right," Karat, a member of the CPI (M) Politburo, told ANI on Monday. "Politics and religion must be separated and kept at a distance. Mixing them only advances the RSS agenda. When religion is used is a political weapon or a tool to advance an idea or agenda, it loses respect," Karat added. CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury recently received a formal invite from the chairman of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee, Nripendra Misra, for the consecration ceremony. The Trust has also invited former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to the event. The attendance of senior Congress leaders has not yet been confirmed by the party. The ceremony scheduled for January 22 will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple. It is expected to be attended by hundreds of officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony. The trust has decided to enthrone the idol of Lord Ram at the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January 22. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony on the day. (ANI)
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