After Congress, now the former Chief Minister of Bihar and leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lalu Prasad Yadav, announced that he will not be present at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, scheduled for January 22. Yadav stated, “I have decided not to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.” Despite his decision, he did not provide any specific reasons for abstaining from the event.

Not only Lalu Prasad Yadav, INDIA bloc party NCP has also turned down the invitation. Several other leaders of the opposition, including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, have turned down the invitation. The Pran Pratishta ceremony is set to take place in Ayodhya on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and various other leaders expected to participate. The event has also extended invitations to several celebrities and notable personalities.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar said that he will visit for darshan after the event and once the construction is complete. In the letter, Pawar acknowledged the devotion of crores of devotees across the country and said, “Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram is a symbol of worship and devotion of crores of devotees in and across India. The devotees across the country are excited about the ceremony and are reaching the temple in large numbers.”

Now, since Sharad Pawar and the Congress party have acknowledged that Ram is worshipped by crores of devotees across India, these parties have failed to read between the lines. Just a few days ago, some Congress leaders went to Ayodhya and were chased out by locals. Despite the incident, the parties have failed to sense that their decision to not attend the Ram Temple puja is fomenting anger among the public. It’s also creating a sense of belief that these parties are anti-Hindu and may thus polarise the Hindi belt against them. This would be a crucial setback for the opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

Bihar has a special connection to Ayodhya. Sita Mata was from Mithila and thus Bihar is home of Lord Ram’s inlaws. Devotees from Bihar have already reached Ayodhya with all the shaguns and greetings. The people of Bihar are keenly watching all the development. While the RJD-JDU-Congress alliance used to stand a better chance against the BJP in Bihar, their move to not attend the Ram temple event has given a weapon to the saffron party and they will use it during the Lok Sabha campaign as well.