Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb: Ex-Babri litigant Iqbal Ansari gifts replica of Ram temple to aide
Iqbal Ansari, previously a key litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, has received an official invitation to the inauguration ceremony of Ram Mandir on January 22.
Ram Mandir consecration: In a shining example of the famous Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb from the land of Ayodhya, Iqbal Ansari, a former litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land court case, bought a miniature replica of the Ram temple to gift one of his assistants.
“This is a replica of the Ram temple. People have different beliefs. I also purchased as a gift for my shooter. The demand for these things has increased so I also bought this,” Iqbal Ansari, who has received an official invitation for the inauguration ceremony of Ram Mandir on January 22, told news agency ANI.
The invitation to Ansari has been extended by Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust.
#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | Iqbal Ansari, former litigant in the Ayodhya land dispute case, received an invitation for the ‘Pranpratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram temple scheduled for January 22. On behalf of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, employees of RSS presented him the invitation… pic.twitter.com/USD3hB1ba7
— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2024
Bathe in Saryu, cleanse your soul: Ansari’s dig at Congress
Iqbal Ansari, previously a key litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi case, had also received an invitation to attend the Ram Mandir ‘bhoomipujan’ ceremony held on August 5, 2020.
Earlier today, in a sly criticism of the Congress for rejecting the Ram Mandir invitation, Iqbal Ansari said there was no need to oppose the pran-pratishtha ceremony at the temple.
“I belong to Ayodhya and the land of Ayodhya is religious, people place their devotion in the city. All opposition parties are against it. But we are not against it, we say clearly: come to Ayodhya and take a holy dip in the Saryu River – cleanse your body and mind,” he said.
#WATCH | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | On Congress MP Digvijaya Singh’s statement on Ram Temple pranpratishtha, former litigant in the Ayodhya land dispute case, Iqbal Ansari said, “I belong to Ayodhya and the land of Ayodhya is religious, people place their devotion in the city. Everyone… pic.twitter.com/0hBos59QFX
— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2024
Iqbal further said, “There is no need to oppose it, ‘pran pratishtha’ will take place. People must come and give an account to the Lord of everything they have done in their lives and ask for His blessings.”
Congress ‘respectfully’ rejects Ram Mandir’s invitation
On Wednesday, the Congress ‘respectfully’ declined the invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The grand old party accused the BJP of using Ayodhya as a ‘political project’ and called the inauguration ceremony a ‘BJP/RSS event.
The Congress alleged that Lord Ram is worshiped by millions of people in the country and religion is a personal matter.
“But the RSS/BJP have made a political project out of the Ayodhya temple for a long time. The inauguration of the unfinished temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has clearly been mooted for electoral gain,” the party said.
“While adhering to the 2019 Supreme Court verdict and respecting the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” it added.
(With ANI inputs)