Advani has said he’ll be there at Ayodhya on Jan 22: VHP
NEW DELHI: BJP stalwart LK Advani, who was at the helm of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, will attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) working president Alok Kumar said here on Thursday.Kumar, along with RSS leader Krishna Gopal, met Advani at his residence and extended an invitation for the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony.
“Advani ji has said that he will come. If required, we will make special arrangements for him,” he said. However, the participation of party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi is still unclear. “He has also said that he will try to attend,” Kumar told reporters.
“Everyone has been invited. As we invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we also invited opposition leaders. We have requested BJP president J P Nadda, and also presidents of all other parties. We believe that the occasion is a festival for all the Hindus,” he added.
Kumar also said that all the required medical facilities and other arrangements will be provided to Advani during his Ayodhya visit.Advani, 96, is one of the founding members of the BJP and along with Joshi was at the forefront of the Ram temple movement in the early 1990s.
Last month, the Ram temple trust had stated that both Advani and Joshi were unlikely to attend the consecration ceremony due to their advanced health and age.As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held for seven days, starting January 16. Preparations are underway in full swing for the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ event on January 22.The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the temple at noon on January 22.