Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and the party’s leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury are among opposition leaders invited to the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also reportedly received invites from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The senior Congress leaders are unlikely to attend the ceremony, according to reports.
The invites were delivered by a delegation from the Trust, the Press Trust of India reports, quoting sources, and more opposition leaders are likely to be invited in the next few days.
Heads of political parties are likely to be invited to the Ram temple event, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Arvind Kejiwal, BSP leader Mayawati, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are expected to speak at the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, the first big event at the complex being built at the cost of Rs 1,800 crore.
A few days ago, the temple trust said BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who were at the forefront of the Ram temple movement in the 1990s, had been requested to skip the event because of their health and age.
A day later, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said they both had been invited and would make “every effort” to join the ceremony.
The temple Trust has also invited saints, scientists, army officers, Padma awardees, industrialists, the Dalai Lama, and other eminent personalities from various fields.
A Tent City has been set up along with a hospital where 150 doctors from across the country will work on rotation.
A series of rituals like bathing the deity and a procession to major temples in Ayodhya will precede the ceremony.
