UBT Sena says it won't attend Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, Congress' Shashi Tharoor says individual should make choice

Mumbai(Maharashtra)[India], December 28(ANI): The opposition party leaders of the INDIA bloc seem to be in a bind on attending the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram in his child like form at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut in his statement said that his party workers are not going to attend the Ayodhya Ram Mandir opening ceremony.
Taking a jibe at the Union government the UBT Sena Rajya Sabha MP said "They have an advertising system according to which they work. They are extremely good at advertising things. Ayodhya Ram Mandir opening ceremony is a way to distract people of the country from real issues like unemployment, inflation, Kashmir, and Manipur."
"...This is all politics, who wants to attend an event by BJP? This is not a national event. This is BJP's program; this is BJP's rally. 'Usme pavitrata kahan hai?'...We will visit (Ayodhya) after BJP's program is over" the UBT Sena MP added.
Raut further added that the Shiv Sena has given blood for the Ram Mandir movement. Balasaheb Thackrey and thousands of Shiv saniks have contributed to it.
"Why are the opposition leaders across the country being asked if they have been invited or not. If this program was of the temple administration, then the ceremony of Ram Temple would have been different. BJP is in power there. I feel that Lord Shri Ram has been kidnapped in a way" Sanjay Raut said.
The Congress whose top leadership has been invited to the consecration ceremony is yet to commit to its attendance. Party MP and CWC Member Shashi Tharoor says that the choice should be left to the individual.
"Putting the Congress leadership in a box and saying that if you go that means you are playing into the hands of the BJP. If you don't go that means you are anti-Hindu. Let the individuals make a reasonable choice" Tharoor said.
Preparations for the consecration ceremony are on in full swing in Ayodhya. The chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee, Nripendra Misra inspected the progress of the construction work on the Ram temple premises here on Thursday.
Misra, took brief details about the construction work, underway at full pace, of the Ram Temple. Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust entrusted with the construction and management of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, is scheduled to hold a meeting today. According to sources, the discussions will centre on the idol of Lord Ram, which will be installed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the grand temple at the grand opening or consecration of the shrine on January 22.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that the entire country was waiting for the grand ceremony
"All of us have been waiting for this moment for years. The dream of the Ram temple is coming true. I would request that if you are invited, you should definitely go on January 22nd. The people who are planning to go later should research everything before visiting Ayodhya to ensure that no inconvenience occurs..." Anurag Thakur said. (ANI)