Union Minister Hardeep Puri says Congress will 'regret' its decision to decline Ram Temple event invite

New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said that the Congress will regret its decision to turn down the invitation for the inauguration ceremony of Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya later this month.
This came after senior Congress leaders--Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury--'declined' the invitation to the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on January 22. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the grand event is "clearly a Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh event". Union Minister Puri, while speaking to ANI, said that the grand old party should not be taken seriously. "Leave them, let them say whatever they are saying, why do you take their words seriously? They themselves will regret their decision if they don't go (on the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony)," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting from January 16.
Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' on January 22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony. A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav. Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for the people of India.