Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar invited for Ram Mandir inauguration

New Delhi [India]: Former Lok Sabha Speaker and senior Congress leader Meira Kumar received an invitation for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir on Sunday.

Rashtriya Swyamsewak Sangh (RSS) leader Ramlal paid a visit to Meira Kumar on Sunday and personally extended the invitation to her.

“RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sampark Pramukh Ramlal has given an invitation to Smt. Meira Kumar, former Speaker of the Lok Sabha and daughter of Babu Jagjivan Ram ji,” Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a post on X.

Meira Kumar served as the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2009 to 2014, when the Congress was in power at the Centre. She was the first woman to hold that post.

The RSS Sampark Pramukh also met former Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda and extended the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple to him. Kariya Munda who is from the Bharatiya Janata Party served as the Deputy Speaker in the 15th Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22.

Civilian award recipients, retired Chief Justices of the Supreme Court, and family members of Kar Sevaks — who died during the Ram Temple movement — are among the invitees for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya later this month. The lawyers who represented Ram Lalla during the gruelling legal battle have also been extended invitations to the grand event.

As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting from January 16. Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on January 22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.

A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.

Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for the people of India.