Akhilesh, VHP spat over Ram temple invitation

With the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya around the corner, a war of words erupted between Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Alok Kumar and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over the invitation for the upcoming event on January 22.

While Kumar asserted that the VHP functionary had approached the SP chief with the invite for the ceremony, Akhilesh reportedly said that he wouldn’t accept such an invitation from a “stranger”.

The guest list for the inaugural function, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest, is being decided by a team nominated by the Sri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra — a temple trust dominated by the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh leaders.

According to the VHP chief, it has been decided to invite all presidents of important political parties for the grand ceremony.

Speaking on an invitation to Akhilesh Yadav, Kumar said, “We had seen his earlier statement that he would come if invited. An invitation has been sent to him. But now he is saying that he would go if Lord Ram him. If he does not come then it will become clear that even Ram does not want him to come,” he said.

The VHP chief statement came after Akhilesh last week said that he would attend Ram Temple’s consecration ceremony if “called by the God”.

“I don’t know the people (VHP functionaries) who came to invite me, have never met them. They are not fit to give me an invitation for anything because we don’t know each other. We accept such gestures in Hindu religion from those whom we know,” the Samajwadi Party Chief told reporters in Lucknow.

“As far as attending the function is concerned, let me say that the BJP and its associated wings are nobody to send such an invitation to me on behalf of God. I’ll worship at the temple along with my family members only when God calls me,” he added.