Ram Temple Priest Delighted by Reports of Advani Attending Jan 22 Event

GG News Bureau
Ayodhya, 13th Jan. The chief priest of the Ram temple in Ayodhya expressed his joy on Friday over the news that BJP stalwart L K Advani will be attending the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22. He believes that this will be a moment of great happiness for the entire temple town.

Advani, who is 96 years old and a founding member of the BJP, played a significant role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement during the 1980s and early 1990s. The Ram temple trust had previously stated that both Advani and Joshi were unlikely to attend the ceremony due to their age and health concerns.

However, on Thursday, VHP working president Alok Kumar said, “Advani ji has said that he will come. If required, we will make special arrangements for him.” Reacting to it, Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the Ram temple, said, “It will be a joyous moment for Ayodhya if Advaniji is coming to have darshan of Ram Lalla.” “All credit goes to Advani that he created public awareness among the Hindu masses for the Ram Janambhoomi.” Giving a detailed list of the invitees at a press conference in Ayodhya, trust general secretary Champat Rai had earlier told reporters, “Both are elders of the family and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both.” As Rai’s statement kicked off a controversy, VHP working president Kumar said in a statement the next day that he had invited Advani and Joshi to attend the consecration ceremony.

Both Advani and Joshi said they would make “every effort” to join the ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, the VHP leader had said in a statement on December 19.

Mahant Ram Das, a priest of a Siyaram temple in Ayodhya, said, “If Advaniji is coming to Ayodhya on that auspicious day, it will be like a real homecoming of Lord Ram from exile.” “Ayodhya will be fortunate to see Advaniji after such a long time. The last time he visited Ayodhya was in the year 2005. He will be at the temple town after 18 years, and he will bring good luck to the residents of Ayodhya,” said Pran Nath Tripathi, a priest in Ayodhya.