L K Advani to attend Ram temple consecration ceremony: VHP
New Delhi, Jan 11: BJP stalwart L K Advani, who was at the forefront of the Ram janmabhoomi movement, will attend the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22, VHP president Alok Kumar said on Thursday.
However, it remains unclear whether party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi will attend the ceremony or not.
"Advani ji has said that he will come. If required, we will make special arrangements for him," Kumar told PTI.
About Joshi, Kumar said, "he has said that he will try to come to attend the event".
Advani, 96, is a founding member of the BJP and, along with Joshi, was at the forefront of the Ram janmabhoomi movement in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Joshi is also a founding member of the BJP.
The Ram temple trust had last month said that both Advani and Joshi were unlikely to attend the consecration ceremony due to their health and age.
Giving a detailed list of the invitees at a press conference in Ayodhya, trust general secretary Champat Rai had told reporters, "Both are elders of the family and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both."
As Rai's statement kicked off a controversy, VHP working president Kumar said in a statement the next day that he had invited Advani and Joshi to attend the consecration ceremony.
Both Advani and Joshi said they would make "every effort" to join the ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, the VHP leader had said in a statement on December 19.
Asked for comment on top Congress leaders declining the Ram temple trust's invite for the mega event, Kumar told PTI, "It's their wish."
"Everyone has been invited. As we invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we also invited opposition leaders. We invited BJP president J P Nadda, so we invited presidents of all other parties. We believe that the occasion is a festival for all Hindus," the VHP leader said.
"Those who want to attend the consecration ceremony can come. Those who do not want to attend the event, it's their wish," he added.
Top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday "respectfully declined" the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony, with the party accusing the BJP of making it into a "political project" for electoral gains and asserting that religion is a "personal matter".
The Supreme Court delivered a verdict in 2019, settling a temple-mosque dispute that dated back more than a century. The court backed the construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for building a mosque.
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My words misunderstood, distorted; regret any pain to women: Karnataka HM G Parameshwara
Bengaluru, Apr 8 (PTI): A day after he found himself in a controversy for his remarks over the recent molestation incident here, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said, his statement was not understood properly and it was distorted.
He also said that he would express regret if it has caused pain to anyone, especially the women.
Parameswara repeatedly asserted that he is someone who believes in the importance of providing safety and protection to women and as the Home Minister he is committed to ensure their safety, and has taken several measures in this regard.
Responding to the incident where a woman was molested while walking in Suddaguntepalya on April 3, Parameshwara on Monday had said: "Police are working continuously round-the-clock braving rain and cold. That is why there is peace in Bengaluru. In a big city like Bengaluru, incidents like this do take place here and there."
This statement had created a controversy, eliciting a strong criticism from opposition BJP and the National Commission for Women (NCW) too had sought a public apology.
"On the directions of NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the Commission has strongly objected to the insensitive remarks made by Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on the recent Bengaluru molestation case.
Such statements trivialise crimes against women. NCW has written to the Hon'ble Governor & Hon'ble CM of Karnataka demanding a public apology from the Home Minister and urgent action to strengthen law and order," NCW said in a post on 'X'.
Clarifying his statement Parameshwara on Tuesday said, "Yesterday my statement has not been properly understood by you (media), and other platforms too have understood it differently. I'm always for women's protection.
As a Home Minister I have implemented various progrmmes like the Nirbhaya scheme. When compared to other states we have spent more Nirbhaya funds and implemented it along with the central government. I would like to share what we have done for the protection of women some day."
Speaking with reporters here, he said, "distorting some statement and speaking about me is not right. I believe and have taken several measures for the protection of women -- our sisters and mothers. If there are any issues (concerning women's safety), I have made officials in the department responsible. So my statement should not be projected by distorting it."
"I'm not saying this for those from the BJP, who are doing politics. If my statement has caused pain to anyone -- our sisters, mothers, I express regret. But there is no need to take it to different platforms by projectingit in a different way," he added.
Stating that during daily briefings by the police commissioners or during briefing from across the state, he is keeping an eye on such cases concerning safety of women, the Home Minister said, "While reviewing, I regularly instruct police to take strict action whether it is cases of harassment, POCSO cases. So there is no question of any negligence or any indifference on my part."
"I will take all the strict measures required in favour of women and their safety. This is not just for the sake of making statements," he said.
To a question on allegations that atrocities against women have increased in the state in last couple of years, Parameshwara asked,"should I give the number of cases when the BJP was in power?"
"I have already given the statistics. If they claim that nothing happened during their period, people will laugh at it," he said.
