BJP's Vinay Katiyar says L K Advani, M M Joshi should have been in Ayodhya today

NEW DELHI: The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday generated joyous reactions from BJP chief J P Nadda and the president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The Ram temple movement, started by party veteran L K Advani in 1990, was the fulcrum that catapulted the party into significance and pulling it out if the fringes that its erstwhile avatar, the Jan Sangh had been dwelling in.It has since remained one of the core ideological agendas of the saffron party.
BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, who was a product of the movement, expressed his disappointment at the absence of senior party leaders like Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi from the celebrations and the limelight at Ayodhya.
Katiyar, a former BJP MP and Bajrang Dal leader, said BJP's guiding leaders LK Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi should have been specially persuaded to join the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Poojan programme in Ayodhya as they are the most important and dominant faces of the movement in the party.
Katiyar said that special efforts should have been made to ensure that Advani and Joshi joined the function.
The Ram Mandir Trust, however, cited Advani and Joshi's age and the threat of Covid-19 as the reasons behind not extending an invite.
To that Katiyar said, "I know there is a danger of corona but Advani and Joshi should have been brought to Ayodhya at all costs. Arrangements should have been made to bring them by a special flight."
Nadda on Wednesday termed the consecration of a Ram temple at Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a historic moment that brings joy and pride to all.
"Today, on the occasion of consecration of Ram Janmabhoomi temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I bow to all revered saints and congratulate the fellow citizens. This historic moment brings joy and pride to everyone," he said.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Nadda said, "It is after a long struggle of 500 years that the Supreme Court paved the way for the construction of the temple and it was a matter of pride that all sections of society happily accepted this decision. The entire country set a unique example by following the ideals of Lord Ram."
Praising all "members of the ideological family who struggled for years," Nadda said, the 'bhoomi pujan' brought to fruition the BJP's 'mandir' movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad working president Alok Kumar expressed joy, saying, “After almost five centuries of struggle, countless sacrifices and seven decades of legal battle it is an emotional feeling to see it happening for ourselves. All this has been possible because of the efforts of millions of Ram devotees, God’s blessings and the guidance of saints and leaders of the Hindu community."
He also said that the VHP’s task is to carry the teachings of Ram to people and restore the spirit of Ram in the country.