Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Speaker Satish Mahana, cabinet ministers, and members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council will visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya today. The delegation, comprising both MLAs and MLCs, is set to pay homage to the revered deity, Ram Lalla.
The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has organised ten luxury buses to facilitate the pilgrimage. Each bus, with a seating capacity of 44, will ferry the lawmakers on the approximately 135-kilometer journey from Lucknow to Ayodhya.
The invitation extended to all members of the legislative bodies saw varied responses from political parties. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners enthusiastically accepted the invitation, the Samajwadi Party (SP) declined to participate.
“Samajwadi Party declined because of politics. All believe in Lord Ram, but SP fears that going to Ram Temple would disturb their vote politics,” BJP MLA from Etawah Sadar, Sarita Bhadauria, alleged.
Visuals from outside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow showed BJP leaders chanting 'Jai Shree Ram' before leaving for Ayodhya's Ram Temple.
"I am fortunate to get the opportunity to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla. After the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, everyone wanted to visit Ayodhya and have a darshan. Today, because of CM Yogi Adityanath, all the MLAs will be travelling to Ayodhya together," BJP MLA from Moradabad, Ritesh Gupta said.
{{/usCountry}}"I am fortunate to get the opportunity to have the darshan of Lord Ram Lalla. After the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, everyone wanted to visit Ayodhya and have a darshan. Today, because of CM Yogi Adityanath, all the MLAs will be travelling to Ayodhya together," BJP MLA from Moradabad, Ritesh Gupta said.
{{/usCountry}}BSP MLA Umashankar Singh said that one should not politicise this issue.
"The leaders of the Samajwadi Party are politicising the issue but we are not. Our party is secular and we respect all religions...One should not politicise this," he said.
BJP MLA Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh said, "The entire country is happy. We are getting this opportunity after centuries. This generation is very lucky."
At a two-day meeting of BJP's national office-bearers in December, the party leaders and workers were instructed to actively participate in programmes organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishva Hindu Parishad for the Ram Temple's construction. BJP workers were also instructed to distribute pamphlets detailing the Centre's steps towards the grand Ram Temple and highlight opposition actions against the construction.