Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Ahead of the Ram temple inauguration, senior Congress leader and Raghuvanshi scion, Dr Karan Singh, announced on Friday that he will not be attending the event owing to medical grounds. In a statement issued in this regard, Singh said that he has received a “beautiful invitation to the historic Pran Pratishtha ceremony” of the Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, scheduled for January 22, 2024.
Singh however expressed his regret that, due to medical reasons at the age of 93, he would be unable to attend the ceremony in person. He said that he had donated Rs 11 lakh towards the construction of the temple adding that the family's Dharmarth Trust in Jammu, of which he is a part, will be organizing a “special celebration on the occasion at the renowned Sri Raghunath Temple in Jammu”.
Additionally, on a smaller scale, festivities will take place at their Shri Ram Mandir on Lodhi Road (Delhi), he said. Singh emphasized the importance of the Supreme Court's judgment and encouraged others to attend the function if invited, free from hesitation. Earlier, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, on December 22 last year had expressed his happiness over the Ram Mandir inauguration but noted his disappointment at not receiving an invitation.
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The controversy surrounding the invitations to the January 22 Ram Mandir event in Ayodhya continues, with the government reiterating that only those with official invites will be permitted to attend the ceremony. Farooq's son and National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah recently said that he too had not received an invitation for the Ram Mandir inauguration.
