Ayodhya temple: Frontline leaders of Ram Mandir to be invited for 'bhumi pujan'

Ayodhya, July 21: Frontline leaders of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation will be invited during the “bhumi pujan” for the construction of the Ayodhya temple next month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for the ceremony.

Kameshwar Chaupal, a member of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra, a trust set up by the Centre to oversee the construction of the temple, said they will invite former deputy PM L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar.

Currently, the BJP leaders are facing a trial in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The trust has kept it in mind that former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, along with other leaders, took the Ram Mandir movement to the masses, Chaupal said, adding that the list of invitees is being finalised.

According to the trust sources, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat , Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar are also on the list of invitees.