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Union Minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Thursday slammed Congress for its alleged discomfort in attending the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22.
Muraleedharan said that despite receiving an invitation for Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple, there is no clarification from Congress. "Despite receiving an invitation for Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, we don't know what the stand of Congress is, but in Kerala, Congress leaders have demanded that Congress not participate in the ceremony. CPI (M) said that this is a mixing of religion and politics. I want to ask CPI (M) leaders if they feel so...they should first abolish the Devaswom department and CPI (M) leaders should not go to Sabarimala temple," said Muraleedharan. As the date for the temple consecration ceremony nears, invitations sent to political leaders have led Congress and the Opposition's INDIA bloc into a severe political dilemma, making it difficult to take a stand on the issue. The BJP leader further blamed Congress, saying that the party has no issue when it comes to participating in iftar or conducting a rally in favour of Palestine. "This shows that this approach is just for the majority community, the Hindu community. Congress has no issue when it comes to participating in iftar or conducting a rally in favour of Palestine. We also have seen Congress leaders pretending to be Hindu devotees and do campaigns in elections, but when it comes to participating in Pran Pratishtha of the temple, they have doubts," added Muraleedharan. Earlier, the chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee, Nripendra Misra, called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. The meeting likely involved discussions on cultural initiatives and the progress of the construction of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The interaction aimed to apprise the President of the developments in these significant projects. The chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee also invited former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for the consecration ceremony. 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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