BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister LK Advani, who was instrumental in shaping the Ram Mandir movement, is likely to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Ram Mandir’s Bhoomi pujan at Ayodhya. The PM is set to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi on August 5, when the Bhoomi Pujan is expected to be performed.
The ceremony would be a culmination of three-day Vedic rituals performed by sages from Varanasi. The ceremony will involve the placing of a 40-kg silver brick at the sanctum Santorum.
LK Advani, one of the veterans who started the Ram Janmabhoomi movement
The visit of Lal Krishna Advani particularly holds significance as the BJP leader had back in 1980s become the political face of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He became instrumental in bringing the Ram Mandir movement to the forefront of public discourse.
Sources have reported that several prominent leaders including HM Amit Shah and Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi have been invited for Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aadityanath will also join the ceremony. According to reports, the guest list has been kept short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only 12-15 VVIPs have been invited including the aforementioned leaders.
While the dates are still tentative, 3 August and 5 August had been suggested to Prime Minister Modi as auspicious dates of the puja.
On Sunday, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust sent an invitation for the same to PMO and asked PM Modi to select one of the mentioned auspicious dates 3rd August and 5th August for the ceremony. The construction will begin after Bhoomi Pujan. It may take anywhere between three to four years to complete the construction of the Temple which may coincide with campaigning for the Lok Sabha Elections in 2024.
Court to record statements of MM Joshi, LK Advani in Babri Masjid demolition case on July 23, 24
In yet another development, the special court hearing the Babri Masjid demolition case on Monday said it will record the statement of senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on July 24 via video conferencing. Special judge SK Yadav fixed July 23 for taking the statement of Murli Manohar Joshi, another senior BJP leader.
Advani and Joshi, along with another BJP leader, Uma Bharti, have been accused of criminal conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
