Sharad Pawar to skip Ram Mandir consecration, says 'will come later'

NCP chief Sharad Pawar stated that he would visit the Ram temple after the 'Pran Prathistha' ceremony as it would be easier to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla

Ram mandir updates: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar has decided to skip the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla scheduled to take place on January 22 and instead visit the Ram temple later.

In a letter to Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust General Secretary Champat Rai, Pawar expressed gratitude for the invitation and stated that the joy and happiness of the mega event would reach him through the devotees who would be reaching there in large numbers.

"I am grateful for the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony being held in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024," Pawar said in the letter.

"Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram is a symbol of devotion and faith of millions of devotees not only in India but all over the world. There is curiosity and eagerness among Ram devotees about the ceremony in Ayodhya and they are reaching there in large numbers. The joy of this historic event will reach me through them," he added.

The NCP veteran further stated that he would visit the temple town after the 'Pran Prathistha' ceremony as it would be easier to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla, and, by then, the construction work of Ram temple will also be completed.

"After the completion of the celebrations on January 22, darshan of Shri Ram Lalla can be taken with ease and comfort. I am planning to come to Ayodhya, at that time I will have a darshan of Shri Ram Lalla Ji with devotion. By then the construction of Ram temple would also have been completed," he said.

"I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for your warm invitation. Please accept my best wishes for the success of the function," Pawar added.

Meanwhile, Pawar on Tuesday had slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for doing politics on the Ram temple issue. He also invoked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi saying the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was laid when the late Congress leader was India's premier.

"The shilanyas [laying of first stone] was conducted during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, but today the BJP and RSS are doing politics in the name of Lord Ram," Pawar was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.