West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced her plans for January 22, the day of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
“Many people have been asking me about various temples but I have nothing to say,” Banerjee said. “I have always said ‘Dhorma Jaar Jaar, Utsob Shobaar ’ (Where there is religion, there are festivals for all).”
The Trinamool chief said that she will hold a rally on January 22 from the city's Kali Mandir, following which an interfaith rally will be held.
“I will do a rally on January 22. It will begin from Kali Mandir, where only I will visit to offer prayers to Maa Kaali,” Banerjee announced. “Following that, we will hold an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join the rally. People of all faiths will be there at the rally.”
The chief minister also announced that members of the Trinamool Congress will hold a rally in every block and district at 3 pm on the day.
Also Read | Ram Mandir ceremony: MS Dhoni receives invitation for ‘Pran Pratishtha’ event
“From January 20 till Feb 12, we will hold camps in every polling station where three of our officers will be present. People can give their names if they haven't been able to avail of our welfare schemes. This will be under the banner of Jono Sanjog programme,” she announced.
{{/usCountry}}“From January 20 till Feb 12, we will hold camps in every polling station where three of our officers will be present. People can give their names if they haven't been able to avail of our welfare schemes. This will be under the banner of Jono Sanjog programme,” she announced.
{{/usCountry}}She also criticised the BJP saying that “it is pointing fingers at others but everyone knows they are the biggest thieves.”
Banerjee said that 'Pran Pratistha' or consecration is not the job of politicians but of priests, according to PTI. "It is not our job to do 'Pran Pratistha'. It is the job of the priests. Our job is to create infrastructure," she said.
Ayodhya's Ram Temple ceremony
The grand consecration ceremony of Ram temple will be held on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will also share the dais with several other dignitaries.
More than 7,000 people have been invited to the ceremony by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
Also Read | ‘Goosebumps…': Singer reacts after PM Modi praises her Ram bhajan
Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a priest from Varanasi, will perform the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at 12.20pm. The ceremony is expected to conclude by 1pm on January 22.
The idol of Ram Lalla, sculpted by Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, has been selected for installation. The seven-day rituals of the consecration ceremony have begun on Tuesday. The rituals include various forms of puja. The deity of Ram Lalla will get a divine bath with 125 urns on January 21.
After the January 22 event, the Ram temple will be opened for worship by the devotees. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists from across India are expected to visit the temple every day.