Ram Mandir inauguration: 'Don't care what others do, I'll go', says former cricketer Harbhajan Singh

In a move that defies his party's official stance, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has declared his intention to attend the grand opening ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22. He asserted on Saturday that he will attend the 'Pran Pratistha' (consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla (Lord Ram's idol).

"It doesn't matter who wants to go (to attend the ceremony) or not; whether Congress wants to go or not or even others (parties) want to go or not, I will definitely go. This is my stand as an individual who believes in God. If anybody has a problem with me going (to Ram Mandir), they can do whatever they want," Harbhajan Singh, fondly known as 'Bhajji', told news agency ANI.

His remarks came in the backdrop of opposition parties boycotting the Ram Mandir inauguration on January 22, citing concerns about the event being politicised by the BJP.

"It is our good fortune that this temple is being built at this time, so we should all go and get blessings (from Lord Ram)....I am definitely going to the (Ram Mandir inauguration) to seek blessings (from Lord Ram)," the AAP MP added.

Harbhajan Singh's remarks come just days after his party's leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal stated that he will not attend the January 22 event, citing the fact that he is yet to get a "formal invite" to the 'Pran Pratistha'. He said that he'll visit the temple after January 22 with his wife, children, and parents.

"They had sent me a letter, and after we called them, they said a team would come to formally invite me. But no one came. But it doesn't matter. In the letter, they wrote that a lot of VIPs and VVIPs would come to the event and, for security reasons, only one person would be allowed," Kejriwal told reporters on Wednesday (January 17).

Kejriwal refrained from making a political connection to the Ram Mandir opening ceremony, emphasising that the temple is a matter of "feelings, sentiment, and devotion." Kejriwal asserted that everyone holds their own beliefs based on their religious convictions, and he urged for the event to remain free from political influence.

"All the four Shankaracharyas are saying that the temple is incomplete. So, 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) at a time like this is not in line with the Vedas and Sanatana Dharma. I think their words should be honoured. They are the supreme authority in Hindu religion. The fact that they are not attending the ceremony is sad," he told news agency ANI.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, the Health Minister of Delhi and a prominent figure in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), reiterated his critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), raising concerns over the distribution of invitations for the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony at the Ram Mandir. Bhardwaj said that the Ram temple is a collective heritage for all citizens of the country, dismissing the BJP's authority to dictate who should or should not attend the inauguration event.

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