‘Hope that it will pave towards brotherhood, national unity’: Congress extends wishes for Ayodhya ‘Bhumi Pujan’

The Congress has not been invited for the official ceremony at Ayodhya.. (File Photo: IANS)


The Congress leaders on Wednesday extended their best wishes for the ground-breaking ceremony (Bhumi Pujan) to be held for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

“Best wishes for Ram Mandir’s Bhumi Pujan. We hope that today’s event will pave towards brotherhood and national unity. Jai Siya Ram,” said the party’s Chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

The party’s leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has expressed hope that the Ayodhya ceremony will be an occasion for “national unity, fraternity and cultural congregation”.

“In Indian subcontinent and across the globe, Ramayan has put a stamp on every mind and the story of Lord Ram is a catalyst for connecting humanity,” she said.

The’Bhumi Pujan’ for the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya will begin at 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Temple by placing silver bricks at the auspicious time according to Vedic customs.

The Congress has not been invited for the official ceremony at Ayodhya.

The guest list has been severely restricted in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. Besides PM Modi, 50 VIPs including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will attend the ceremony.

PM Modi and four other persons — RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Ram Mandir Trust Chief Nritya Gopaldas, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath — will be on the stage for the mega event.

Meanwhile, the temple, to be constructed in Nagara style of architecture, will have five domes instead of two as envisaged earlier to accommodate more number of devotees, the architect said.

According to him, the project is likely to be completed in the next three years once the work commences.

In November last year, the Supreme Court had paved the way for the construction of Ram temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a “prominent” place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.