Himachal CM Sukhu to attend Ram Temple consecration whether invitation comes or not
Jan 01, 2024
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 1 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that he will attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22, even if he is not invited to the event by the temple trust.
"If the invitation comes or not, we shall go there; there is no second thought about attending the ceremony," CM Sukhu told ANI.
"We follow the path of Lord Ram. It should not be given a political colour," he added.
Meanwhile, the state PWD Minister and son of former Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Vikramaditya Singh, has received an invitation from the Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust. He said that he, along with the Chief Minister and other cabinet colleagues, will visit the Ram Temple, the date of which will be decided later after discussion.
"We have received an invitation from the Temple Trust and VHP. This is not a political matter but a religious matter for us. My father was in favour of the Ram temple movement. Himachal Pradesh has always been associated with 'Dev-Sanskriti," Vikramaditya Singh told ANI.
He said that the Ram Temple is not a political matter but a religious one.
"Virbhadra Singh Ji had worked a lot for the temples and deities. Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country to pass a law against religious conversion. It was due to his thoughts and ideas," Vikramaditya Singh said.
Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust has invited Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, its president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, for the consecration ceremony. But the party has yet to decide whether they will participate or not.
Apart from political and religious leaders, Bollywood actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, have been invited to the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Simultaneously, the Prime Minister urged all pilgrimage sites and temples in the country to launch cleanliness campaigns from January 14 to January 22. He emphasized that Lord Ram belongs to the entire nation and asked that there be no litter around any of our temples or pilgrimage sites when he arrives.
As per temple officials, the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya's Ram Mandir will be held over seven days, starting on January 16. On the final day, January 22, after the morning puja, the deity of Ram Lala will be consecrated in 'Mrigashira Nakshatra' in the afternoon.
l
