Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said he won't be able to attend the January 22 consecration ceremony at Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya. Writing a letter to temple trust General Secretary Champat Rai in response to the inviatation, Pawar said he would freely take out time and come for drashan. The temple's construction would have also been completed by then.
"Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram is a symbol of devotion and faith of millions of devotees not only in India but all over the world," Pawar said in his letter.
"There is curiosity and eagerness among Ram devotees about the ceremony in Ayodhya and they are reaching there in large numbers. The joy of this historic event will reach me through them," he added.
"After the completion of the celebrations on January, 22, darshan of Shri Ram Lalla can be taken with ease and comfort. I am planning to come to Ayodhya, at that time I will have darshan of Shri Ram Lala Ji with devotion," said the NCP chief.
"By then the construction of Ram temple would also have been completed," Pawar added.
He also sent his best wishes for the success of the function.
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Earlier, former UP Congress chief Champat Rai also responded to the invitation saying he would attend the event even thought the party's top leadership including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahuk Gandhi have refused to participate.
The four Shankaracharyas had expressed their reservations in attending the consecration ceremony saying the same could not be done until the construction of the temple is completed. All the four Hindu religious leaders have said that they would not attend the event.