A day after Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust’s general secretary and senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Champat Rai, said that he had requested Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi “not to attend” the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple owing to their advanced age, senior VHP and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leaders met both the veterans and invited them for the event.
Working president of VHP, Alok Kumar, along with senior Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leaders Ram Lal and Krishna Gopal, met Mr. Advani and invited him for the event on Tuesday.
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The VHP also released a picture of Mr. Kumar and others meeting Mr. Joshi at his residence and handing over the invite for the consecration ceremony of the temple. The picture was released a day after their visit.
Mr. Advani and Mr. Joshi, both Bharatiya Janata Party veterans, were at the forefront of the Ram temple movement.
In a statement after the meetings, Mr. Kumar said in a post on X, “Invited Lal Krishna Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji, the pioneers of Ram Mandir movement, to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. Both the seniors said that they will make every effort to come.”
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Kumar said that he, on behalf of entire VHP family, has requested that the two leaders “must attend” the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple.
“Advani ji’s daughter was concerned about the logistics of his travel to Ayodhya which is natural considering his age. We told them that the VHP will try and arrange whatever is required to make his visit comfortable. He said that he will try his best to come,” said Mr. Kumar. He added that Mr. Joshi had said that “he will see if he can come”.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr. Rai had said, “Advani ji ka aana anivarya hai, magar mai chahta hu wo na aave” (Mr. Advani’s presence is necessary but I don’t want him to come). He repeated the same thing for Mr. Joshi as well, and said both BJP veterans were “too old” to travel in harsh winters.
Reacting to the controversy that erupted over Mr. Rai’s statement, Mr. Kumar said his words were blown out of context.
“We couldn’t have imagined Ram temple movement without Joshi ji and Advani ji. Champat Rai ji was only concerned about the health of the leaders. We all are concerned about it but feel they must come,” he further said.
Speaking about the other invitees for the temple inauguration, Mr. Kumar said the chiefs of all Opposition parties are being invited. He added that from the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will be given invites.
