"Joyous day": Ramdas Athawale at Ayodhya for Pran Pratishtha ceremony

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 22 : Ahead of the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya's Ram Temple, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale arrived at the temple premises on Monday.
"This is a joyous day. People from across the world are participating in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. The newly constructed Ram Mandir is being inaugurated today. Several people are in joy today and so I have come here to be part of this joyous occasion," the Union Minister who is also the president of the Republican Party of India said, speaking to ANI at Ayodhya.
Responding to allegations from the opposition parties that the Pran Pratishtha ceremony has been made into a BJP event, Athawale said that had it been an agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Opposition would not have received an invitation.
"Had this been a BJP agenda, the Opposition would not have been given an invitation. All of them received an invitation, including those from the INDIA bloc. Famous personalities, celebrities and politicians have been invited. This is not a BJP event," the Union Minister said.
Athawale said that the Opposition parties should have come to Ayodhya for the Pran Pratishtha event instead of boycotting it.
"Opposition should have come here. But they boycotted it, I appeal to the people to boycott them in the upcoming election," he said.
The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla took place on Paush Shukla Kurma Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, which falls on January 22.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Governor Anandiben Patel, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among other dignitaries.
The historic Pran Pratishtha ceremony was attended by representatives of all major spiritual and religious sects of the country. People from all walks of life, including representatives of various tribal communities, attended the ceremony.