Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international working president Alok Kumar on Tuesday invited Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarchs Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi for inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.
The invite came a day after Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust secretary Champat Rai “requested them not to attend the event, considering their age and health conditions”.
Sources in the VHP said both Advani and Joshi have said they will try to attend. Advani is 96 years old, while Joshi is 89. The seniors, along with the VHP, were at the forefront of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Advani and Joshi were tried for their role in Babri demolition, although in September 2020, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow acquitted them.
Champat Rai had said on Monday: “Advani ji ka hona anivarya hai… aur hum yeh bhi kahenge ki who kripaya na aayein (While Advani ji’s presence was essential, we would like to say that he shouldn’t come).”
#WATCH | Ayodhya: Champat Rai, the General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra says, "Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani will not be able to attend the ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Both (Advani and Joshi) are elders in the family and… pic.twitter.com/XZpWbXVJVS— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2023
In a similar way, he expressed concern at the prospect of Joshi attending the event. “Dr Joshi se meri swayam varta hui hai. Main phone pe kehta raha aap mat aaiye, aur woh zid karte rahe main aaunga… Main baar baar nivedan karta raha ki Guruji aap mat aayiye, aapki aayu, sardi…. apne ghutne badalwayen hain (I spoke with Dr Joshi on the phone. I kept telling him don’t come, but he was adamant and kept saying that he would come. I kept requesting him not to come considering his age, the winter… He got his knees replaced),” the Ram Mandir Trust secretary had said.
While the trust’s request was driven by legitimate concern for their health, many in the Opposition, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, started taking political potshots at the BJP over the issue.
The ground level of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with the temple scheduled for inauguration in January. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the pran pratishtha, installation of the Ram Lalla idol on temple premises, on January 22.
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