"Political event..." DMK MP TR Baalu on 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Temple in Ayodhya

The 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ayodhya's Ram Temple is set to be held on January 22.

"The inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Temple is not a spiritual event; rather, it is a political one. The BJP, ever since they came to power in 2014, has not fulfilled their electoral promises. The party has no qualms about not fulfilling its promises. It is trying to divert the attention of the people by showing the construction of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya as their achievement," Baalu said.

Questioning the BJP-led central government, he said, "How many of the electoral promises have they fulfilled? They have pushed middle-class and lower-class people into crises."

Heaping praise on the DMK, TR Baalu said, "The DMK is a party that follows 'one god, one clan', as said by Peraringar Anna. The party has strong faith in the Indian Constitution, which speaks of secularism. It never tries mixing politics with spiritualism."

"Using devotion for political reasons and the vote bank is against India's sovereignty and the constitution, which is not good for the future of the country. It is condemnable that the BJP is using a temple event like this," Baalu added.

The opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc have been questioning the BJP government over the timing of the Ayodhya Ram Temple event, given the Lok Sabha polls around the corner.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and a host of Congress bigwigs--national president Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi and the party's Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury--have already turned down the invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony, calling it a "BJP/RSS" event.

Earlier on Saturday, the Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief, Akhilesh Yadav, declined the Ayodhya invitation, stating that he would visit the temple with his family after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

The SP chief and the former UP chief minister wrote to Champat Rai, the general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust entrusted with the construction of the Ram Temple, on Friday, informing him of his decision to skip the event.

"Thank you for the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple and congratulations on its successful completion," read the letter written by the SP chief.

"I will surely visit Ayodhya with my family after the Pran Pratishtha ceremony," he added.

Meanwhile, the BJP, on the other hand, has been accusing the grand old party of hurting religious sentiments.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to preside over the 'Pran Pratistha' and ceremonial opening of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Vedic rituals for the 'Pran-Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla (infant Lord Ram) in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.

A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be organised, in which thousands of devotees will be fed. Several tent cities are being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.

According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people. (ANI)