Arvind Kejriwal received letter asking him to block dates for Ram Mandir inauguration: AAP sources

However, no subsequent formal invitation has come yet, party sources said.

With a couple of weeks left for the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the Ayodhya temple, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal received a letter a few days ago saying he should block his dates as a formal invite for the ceremony, along with details will follow, party sources said. However, no subsequent formal invitation has come yet, party sources said.

Meanwhile, calling the Ram Temple inauguration an event of the BJP and RSS earlier in the day, the Congress turned down the invitation for the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla, scheduled later this month in Ayodhya. Senior Congress leaders -- Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury -- 'declined' the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party's general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.

"Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024," he said in the statement.

"Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS and BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS and BJP event," it added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting from January 16.

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