Arvind Kejriwal said he participated in bhandaras organised in different areas of Delhi.
New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Cabinet ministers and AAP MLAs took part in various events across the national capital as part of the party’s plan to mark the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The AAP organised ‘shobha yatras’ and ‘bhandaras’ (community kitchens) in different parts of the city to celebrate the ‘Pran Pratistha (consecration)’ ceremony.
In a post in Hindi on X, Arvind Kejriwal said he participated in bhandaras organised in different areas of Delhi.
“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on this sacred occasion of the installation of Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram in the grand temple. Hail Siya Ram,” he said in another post.
The new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the Ayodhya temple on Monday, an event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across the country.
“Our Ram has come,” PM Modi said in his address that followed the consecration, which also marked the temple’s inauguration.
Mr Kejriwal said that due to extensive VIP security in Ayodhya, they couldn’t visit, but they expressed devotion to Lord Ram in their own way. He attended multiple events in his constituency of New Delhi.
“Congratulations to all ‘Ram Bhakts’ and everyone, on the occasion of Ram Lalla’s Pran Pratishtha. I’m so glad that Ram Lalla’s idol has been consecrated. Last week, we conducted Sundarkand recitations at many places in Delhi. I along with my wife recited Sundarkand at a Rohini temple. From now onwards, we will organize Sundarkand recitals on the first Tuesday of every month,” he said.
“Due to the high VVIP movement in today’s Pran Pratishtha ceremony, many of us couldn’t go there and we are worshipping ‘Ram Lalla’ in our own ways,” he said.
AAP’s senior leader and Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj participated in the Sundarkand recitation organized in Sheikh Sarai Phase-2. He also participated in grand ‘Shobha Yatra’ in Shahpur Jat and Chirag Delhi villages.
Mr Bharadwaj said Mr Kejriwal has already visited Ayodhya, but he desires to go to the temple town for the darshan of Lord Ram with his parents and the entire family.
“As soon as the opportunity arises, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will visit Ayodhya with his entire family for the darshan of Lord Shri Ram. We are among the biggest devotees of Lord Shri Ram,” he stressed.
The minister recalled that about two-and-a-half years ago, Mr Kejriwal outlined his 10-point agenda in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, expressing the desire for a system in the country under the vision of Tulsidas Ji’s ‘Ram Rajya’, where no one faces any hardship, and everyone can live with love and brotherhood,.
Mr Bharadwaj said the Delhi government had previously sent the elderly people of Delhi for a pilgrimage to Ayodhya. So far, the Delhi government has sent about 82,000 elderly people of Delhi to various pilgrimage sites.
“Since permission to send a train for pilgrimage to Ayodhya has not yet been granted due to security reasons, the Delhi government is waiting. As soon as permission is granted to send a train for Ayodhya darshan, the Delhi government will take the elderly people of Delhi under the ‘Mukyamantri Teerth Yatra Yojana’ for Ram Lalla’s darshan,” he said.
His cabinet colleague Atishi organised a traditional ceremony of Havan and Puja for Lord Ram in the Kalkaji constituency.
“We hope that today, in Ayodhya, the consecration of Lord Rama happens not just outwardly but also within our hearts and souls,” she said.
She said Lord Rama is the epitome of virtue, teaching the world the right way to live.
“Today, it is essential for people to embrace those virtues in their lives. If we become successful in doing so, we will undoubtedly lead this country on the global front,” she added.
AAP MLA Dilip Pandey conducted kirtan in Mukherjee Nagar while Durgesh Pathak organised ‘bhandara’ in Rajinder Nagar. Rithala AAP MLA Mohinder Goel also organised a ‘Shobha Yatra’ and ‘bhandara’ in his constituency.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
