Sonia, Kharge, Adhir invited to Ram Temple consecration ceremony

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and party leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have received invitations for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Sources said the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust sent the invitations to them. But the senior Congress leaders are unlikely to attend the ceremony, they added.

The invitations were sent individually to Kharge, Gandhi and Chowdhury, the sources said.

Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda have also received invitations for the function.

The invitations, the sources said, were delivered by a delegation of those associated with the Trust.

More invitations are likely to be sent to other opposition leaders in the coming days.

The Trust has said that invitations have been extended to revered saints from different traditions, along with all prominent individuals contributing to the honour of the country in every domain.

In the new Teerthakshetrapuram (Bag Bijaisi), a Tent City has been established which includes six tubewells, six kitchen houses, and a hospital with ten beds, the Trust has said.

Approximately 150 doctors from around the country have agreed to provide their services in rotation at this hospital. About 4,000 saints from different sects have been invited to participate in the ceremony, the Trust has said.