"Misfortune": Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Congress turning down invite to Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 12 : Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday slammed the grand old party for declining the invitation to Lord Ram's Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya and called it a misfortune for Congress.
Speaking to ANI, Chouhan said, "The Ram Mandir is Rashtra Mandir. Lord Ram is the existence, worship, life, God and identity of India. They (Congress) are denying the identity of India, which is not right. It's their (Congress) misfortune."
Earlier on Wednesday, Chouhan said the Congress's rejection of the invitation to the opening of the grand Ram Temple was akin to rejecting or disowing the country's identity.
"Ram is our Lord. He represents the soul and the identity of Bharat. The turning down of the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha by the Congress is a rejection of India's identity and culture. It is because of such positions that the Congress takes that it has been reduced to the margins today," the former Madhya Pradesh CM said.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Congress turned down the invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony, calling it a 'BJP/RSS event".
Senior Congress leaders -- Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury --'declined' the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party's general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.
"Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024," he said in the statement.
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 on 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.