"Not invited" to Ram Temple inauguration: Sharad Pawar expresses disappointment

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar expressed his disappointment after not being invited to the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22.

Pawar said he is not being invited to the inauguration of Ram Mandir and said also has some place where he had faith and he will go there. He also alleged BJP of politics in the name of Ram Mandir.

"I have not been invited to the inauguration of Ram Mandir, I have some places of faith, I go there. The question of going to a religious place is personal. I am not saying that openly. BJP is doing politics or business in the name of Ram temple, I don't know," said Pawar.

"The ruling party does not have any concrete program to garner people's support, so it seems they are trying to create a different opinion among the people by using Ram Mandir as an excuse," added Pawar.

Meanwhile, 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.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee 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.