Ram temple event: Who has been invited? Who's giving it a miss?

 The Ram temple is set to be consecrated next month. Preparations are in full swing for the 22 January ceremony which will be attended by a slew of big names including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But which other dignitaries will be attending? And who will be giving the ceremony a miss? Let’s take a closer look: Who is in? Around 4,000 saints and 2,200 other guests have been invited to the ceremony, as per Ram Temple Trust general secretary Champat Rai. Heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited. As per The Hindu, the invite reads, “You are aware that after a long struggle, the construction of temple at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is in progress, and on Paush Shukla Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 2080, January, 22 2024, the new idol of Ram Lalla will be consecrated in the sanctum sanctorum. On the historic day, it is our strong desire that you be present in Ayodhya.” As per Hindustan Times, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the ceremony.

Spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev have been invited.

From Bollywood, cine stars Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar, Rajinikanth, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Dhanush, Rishab Shetty Madhur Bhandarkar, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Sunny Deol, Prabhas and Yash have been sent invites. Tiger Shroff and Ayushmann Khurrana are also expected to be part of the guest list. [caption id=“attachment_13491332” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has been invited to the ceremony. AP[/caption] Prominent industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani have been invited. As per Hindustan Times, Gautam Adani and Ratan Tata are also likely to get invites. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli will also be invited, a person in the know told the newspaper on condition of anonymity. Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia Topiwala, who played Ram and Sita in the 1987 series Ramayan, will also be invited. “Owners of large media houses and senior journalists are also likely to be invited,” the person told the newspaper. “The Trust is also trying to invite one representative each from 50 foreign countries,” Rai was quoted as saying. “The Trust will also invite families of kar sevaks who lost their lives in the Ram Mandir movement. Invitations are also being sent to scientists, judges, writers and poets.” Painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO director Nilesh Desai and many other eminent personalities are also invited. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Sources said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has sent the invitations to them. [caption id=“attachment_13490082” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have received invites to the ceremony. PTI[/caption] Asked whether the party leaders would attend the ceremony, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told a press conference, “You will know about the party’s stand. You will know on January 22 about the participation.” “They have invited us, we are very much thankful to them for inviting us, let us (see),” he said. The invitations were sent individually to Kharge, Gandhi and Chowdhury, Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also received invitations for the function. The invitations, the sources said, were delivered by a delegation of those associated with the trust. More invitations will likely be sent to other Opposition leaders in the coming days. The trust has said invitations have also been sent to revered seers from different traditions, along with all prominent individuals contributing to the country’s honour in every domain. Shankaracharyas of six ‘darshanas’ (ancient schools) and about 150 saints and sages will join the ceremony, as per Rai. As per The Hindu, around 100 members from the VHP and 25 officials from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have also been sent an invite. Who is out? LK Advani and MM Joshi are seemingly out — or are they? Ironically, the two BJP veterans at the forefront of the Ram temple agitation in Ayodhya were ‘asked not to come’. [caption id=“attachment_12839082” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A row broke out around whether l BJP veteran leaders LK Advani and MM Joshi will attend the ceremony. PTI[/caption] “Both are elders of the family and considering their age and health, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both,” Rai said last week. Rai said Advani and Joshi may not attend the consecration ceremony due to health and age-related reasons. Advani is now 96 and Joshi will turn 90 next month.

However, as per The Print, both leaders have received invites following the controversy.

“Three leaders came to invite Advani ji for the temple ceremony and Advani ji showed his interest to be present at the ceremony. It is up to the organising committee to make arrangements for his participation. He had started the Ram Temple agitation and this is a happy moment for everybody in the country,” a close aide of Advani told The Print. The aide said there is “no difficulty in his participation in the ceremony”. A close aide to Joshi told the outlet, “He is in good health and he participated in a few public functions recently, including one for old RSS functionaries. He continues to write scientific papers regularly despite his old age. Champat Rai ji talked to Dr Joshi, but he is interested in participating in the ceremony.” VHP president Alok Sharma told The Print, “both leaders, who are faces of Ram Mandir construction, have been invited and both have shown an inclination to attend ceremony.” “The [Ram Temple] trust has also invited former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. He has asked about the availability of wheelchairs, we have assured him that not only a wheelchair, but a dedicated person be put in charge of arrangements for him. Similar arrangements will be made for Advani ji and Joshi ji,” Sharma added.

It remains to be seen if they actually attend the ceremony.

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This CPI (M) have announced they will skip the ceremony to protest the “politicisation of a religious programme”. CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the party said on Tuesday while underlining its belief that religion is a personal choice. [caption id=“attachment_13546862” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. PTI[/caption] “Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X. “No, we will not go. We respect the religious beliefs… but they are connecting a religious programme with politics. “Using religion as a political weapon or to advance a political agenda is not right,”  CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat Karat ANI. In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony,” the party said. It added that it is “most unfortunate” that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries. “A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is be

Former Congress leader Kapil Sibal too has said he will not attend.

“What I say to you is from my heart… because I do not care about these things. If Ram is in my heart, and Ram has guided me on my journey, it means I have done something right,” Sibal told ANI. [caption id=“attachment_12890882” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Former Congress leader Kapil Sibal will also not be attending the ceremony. ANI[/caption] “They talk about Lord Ram but their character is nowhere close. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are some of the traits of Ram but they do exactly the opposite… you need to have Ram’s principles in your heart.” Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Kannauj, Subrat Pathak, has urged Rai not to invite Samajwadi Party leaders for the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. “I just request the Shri Ram Mandir Trust to invite every Sanatani, irrespective of party, in the Shri Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha programme but not the SP, the killers of Ram devotees,” he said. “This is a matter of pride for our country but we also know that some political parties did not want the Ram Temple to be built, especially the Samajwadi Party. “You must remember how the Samajwadi Party had brutally killed Ram devotees by firing at them, for which they have not apologised till date. I just request Shri Ram Mandir Trust to call every Sanatani, irrespective of political party, but not the Samajwadi Party,” Pathak said. After the consecration ceremony, ‘mandal puja’ will be held from 24 January for 48 days – according to tradition. The temple will be opened to devotees on 23 January Rai said that proper arrangements have been made for the guests to stay at more than three places in Ayodhya. Apart from this, 600 rooms have been made available by various monasteries, temples and household families. With inputs from agencies