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UP Cong’s Ram Lalla ‘darshan’move grows bigger; over 2k people off to Ram Janmabhoomi tomorrow
Nearly 2,000 Congress leaders and workers , including the top UP Congress leadership, would go to Ayodhya on January 15, Makar Sankranti, ahead of the January 22 Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the new Ram Lalla idol .The leaders, including Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pandey, state president Ajay Rai, Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari, UP Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, former state president and ex-MP from Faizabad Nirmal Khatri, former National Scheduled Caste Commission chairman PL Punia and many other senior leaders, will have ‘darshan’ of Janmabhoomi .
Ayodhya/Lucknow: Amid the daily war of words between the Congress and the BJP-RSS-VHP after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi declined the Pran Pratishtha invite, the UP Congress Ram Lalla ‘darshan’ led by the UP Congress in charge Avinash Pandey on January 15 is getting bigger and somewhat more political than what was originally announced last week.
Nearly 2,000 Congress leaders and workers , including the top UP Congress leadership, would go to Ayodhya on January 15, Makar Sankranti, ahead of the January 22 Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the new Ram Lalla idol .
The leaders, including Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pandey, state president Ajay Rai, Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari, UP Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, former state president and ex-MP from Faizabad Nirmal Khatri, former National Scheduled Caste Commission chairman PL Punia and many other senior leaders will have darshan of Janmabhoomi .
“Nearly 2,000 people would go from Lucknow in nearly 200 cars on Monday morning. We expect to reach there in about 2 to 3 hours”, said UPCC spokesperson Anshu Awasthi who will also go.
When asked if the UPCC had invited leaders and workers to participate, Awasthi said: “No. We have not invited anyone. It’s voluntary. But word has spread in all the district units and many have said that they will join. Apart from 2,000 from Lucknow, several are expected to join from the districts around Ayodhya”.
Avinash Pande confirmed at a press conference on Sunday that he, along with UP Congress Committee president Ajay Rai and other leaders would go to Ayodhya for ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla at Ramjanmabhoomi on January 15.
When asked if the move was political, he said: “No. We want to make it clear that there should be no doubt about our firm belief in Lord Ram. There is no one in the nation who doesn’t respect Lord Ram. The temple is being built today but we went there whenever we got time, even when the temple was not there. The temple was made on the orders of the court. The Congress never opposed it and neither stopped anyone from going there nor compelled anyone to do so. People are emotionally connected with it. I personally feel bad when we see politicization of temple and polarization in its name”.
UP Congress spokesperson CP Rai said: “Avinash Pande ji and Ajay Rai ji will go to Ayodhya on January 15 soon after the end of ‘Kharmas’. Congress leaders will have Ram Lalla’s darshan...Kharmas is ending at 9.13 am on January 15 and at 9.15 am the Congress UP in charge Avinash Pande and UP Congress chief Ajay Rai will lead some Congress leaders to Ayodhya. They will first bathe in the Saryu river and then have darshan of Ram Lalla”.
