Hyderabad: As the day of Ram Mandir inauguration finally arrives, it will be a bittersweet feeling for veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, who is likely to miss the inauguration owing to the prevailing cold weather conditions and his age, sources said. Advani, the firebrand saffron party leader, whose Rath Yatra of the 1990s is credited to have paved the way for the construction of the Ram Mandir at the site of the now demolished ancient Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya, will miss the 'Pran Pratistha'.
The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teertha Kshetra or the Ram Temple Trust had last month confirmed that the nonagenarian BJP leader will not attend the inauguration of the Ram Mandir due to the cold weather conditions. However, reports later said that Advani might attend the event under special arrangements by the trust. But it has now been confirmed that the former Deputy Prime Minister will give a miss to the inauguration on Monday Jan 22.
Advani, the former BJP President will be conspicuous with his absence at the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya where the Prime Minister and all BJP top brass will be present. Advani's Rath Yatra in the 1990 is believed to have played a key role for the construction of the Ram Mandir at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid, believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of Lord Ram.
The Rath Yatra led by Advani from Gujarat to Ayodhya to demand the temple construction had mobilised thousands of 'kar sevaks' which culminated in the demolition of the mosque on Dec 6, 1990. Over the row over his absence at the Ram Mandir inauguration, Advani seemed to have made peace with the bittersweet feeling and said that Lord Ram had chosen his devotee in Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the temple inauguration.
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