Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he did not get a formal invitation to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya but “it doesn’t matter” as he will visit the temple after the January 22 event.
Speaking to reporters, Kejriwal said, “They had sent me a letter, and after we called them, they said a team would come to formally invite me. But no one came. But it doesn’t matter. In the letter, they wrote that a lot of VIPs and VVIPs would come to the event and, for security reasons, only one person would be allowed.”
The Delhi CM said he wishes to visit the temple with his wife, children and parents after the January 22 event. “My parents are also very eager for us to go,” he added.
He added that the Delhi government will also put in efforts to run more trains from the national capital to Ayodhya as people would be planning to visit the Ram Mandir after the consecration ceremony on January 22.
When asked about the inauguration of Ram Mandir falling before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Kejriwal replied, “In my opinion, the temple is a matter of feelings. Everyone has their own belief according to their religion. It is a matter of sentiment and devotion, there should be no politics in it.”
Earlier, Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj had backed the four Shankaracharyas who said they will not attend the consecration ceremony. The spiritual leaders said the rituals followed for the consecration were “against the scriptures” and one of them had opposed the installation of Lord Ram’s idol in the temple while it was still under construction.
While the first floor and sanctum sanctorum of the Ram temple are complete, it will require another two years for the temple to be fully ready.
Recently, the AAP announced its plan to hold “Sundar Kand” recital programmes across Delhi on Tuesdays in an apparent attempt to counter the BJP’s focus on the consecration ceremony. Kejriwal attended one such recital on Tuesday in the Rohini area along with his wife.
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