Opposition leaders have been invited to the grand consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, including Sonia Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

According to reports, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has also extended invitations to former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda.

Reports state that it is unlikely that the senior members of Congress will attend the ceremony.

According to the Press Trust of India, which cites sources, a delegation from the Trust delivered the invitations, and more opposition leaders will probably receive invitations in the coming days.

Political party leaders, including D Raja of the CPI, Mayawati of the BSP, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, and Arvind Kejiwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), are probably going to be invited to the Ram temple event.

At the ₹1,800 crore Ram temple complex, the consecration ceremony is the first major event that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are anticipated to speak at.

The temple trust announced a few days ago that BJP veterans Murli Manohar Joshi and LK Advani, who spearheaded the Ram temple movement in the 1990s, had been asked to miss the event due to age and health issues.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) announced a day later that they had both received invitations and would try their best to attend the event.

Saints, scientists, army officers, Padma awardees, businesspeople, the Dalai Lama, and other notable figures from a variety of fields have also been invited by the temple trust.

A hospital and tent city have been established, housing 150 doctors on a rotating basis from all over the nation.

The ceremony will be preceded by a series of rituals, such as bathing the deity and a procession to important Ayodhya temples.