SP chief Akhilesh Yadav gets Ram Mandir opening invite, to visit temple after Jan 22

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday confirmed that he has received an invite for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Temple on January 22. However, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that he would visit the temple, along with his family, after the inauguration event.

Yadav on Friday had claimed that he had not received any invitation to the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya either in person or by courier, and had also demanded proof in case it was sent by post.

In a letter to Ram Janmabhoomi Theerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai, the SP chief thanked him for the invitation received on Saturday morning.


Posting the letter thanking Rai on X, Yadav extended best wishes for the programme.


However, he said that he would visit the Ram Mandir with his family after the consecration ceremony.

Akhilesh Yadav's reply came after a political row over the attendance at the ceremony by various political parties. On Friday, Yadav alleged that the BJP was humiliating the opposition parties in the name of Lord Ram.

The Congress has announced that it will not be attending the January 22 ceremony, alleging that the event has been turned into a political one rather than a religious one.

Congress and SP are partners in the INDIA bloc, formed to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP aims to project the Ram Mandir as a key election issue.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders have been attacking the parties declining Ram temple invite by labelling them as "anti-Ram" parties.