‘Who is BJP to decide…’: AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj on Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

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Ayodhya Ram Temple Consecration: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi health minister Saurabh Bhardwaj has questioned Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) over invitation to the upcoming ‘Pran Prathista’ ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged ‘140 crore countrymen’ to not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony on 22 January.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Ram Temple belongs to the whole country. Who is BJP to decide who to invite and who to leave out? People will go whenever they want to..." Prime Minister Modi visited Ayodhya on Saturday during which he inaugurated a redeveloped railway station and a newly-built airport, besides laying the foundation stone of a slew of other projects in Uttar Pradesh.

At a public rally Ayodhya on Saturday, Modi had said the whole world is waiting for the historic Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22 and appealed to people to light special diyas in their homes to celebrate the day of 'pran pratishtha' of Ram temple as 'Deepawali'. Noting that there is excitement in the country over the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to share their creations such as 'bhajans' relating to it on social media with the hashtag 'Shri Ram Bhajan', saying this compilation will turn into a flow of emotions and devotion in which everyone will be imbued with the ethos of Lord Ram.

In his Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Prime Minister Modi also pointed out that there are many experienced as well as new emerging young artists who have composed heart-warming bhajans. "There is excitement and enthusiasm in the entire country in connection with the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.