The ceremony slated for January 22 is set to witness the placement of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple.
On Thursday, Sanjay Raut, a leader from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), intensified his criticism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regarding the controversy surrounding the invitation for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Raut suggested that it appears as if “they have kidnapped Lord Ram.”
Raut, who asserted that Shiv Sena (UBT) did not receive an invitation for the scheduled January 22 ceremony, emphasized the peculiar situation with a BJP-led government in both Uttar Pradesh and at the national level. He remarked to reporters, “It seems like they have kidnapped Lord Ram. Are we waiting for the invitation? When the BJP event is over, we will go to visit Ram Lalla.”
Earlier in the week, Raut stated that an invitation for party chief Uddhav Thackeray to visit Ayodhya was unnecessary, given Shiv Sena’s longstanding association with the town compared to the BJP. Raut claimed that during the BJP’s accusation of Shiv Sena’s involvement in the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, Sena founder Bal Thackeray took responsibility for it.
Addressing the Ayodhya movement, Raut highlighted the contributions of various figures, including former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Balasaheb Thackeray, former VHP president Ashok Singhal, Uma Bharati, Vinay Katiyar, and Shrish Chandra Dikshit.
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), expressed disappointment for not being invited to the event. Pawar accused the BJP of playing politics in the name of Ram Mandir, stating, “The ruling party does not have any concrete program to garner people’s support, so it seems they are trying to create a different opinion among the people by using Ram Mandir as an excuse.”
