On January 15, Nearly 100 UP Congress Office-Bearers Will Travel To Ayodhya

Around 100 Congress office-bearers from Uttar Pradesh, including the party’s state unit chief Ajay Rai and state in-charge Avinash Pande, will visit Ayodhya on January 15 to mark Makar Sankranti. The Congress leaders will swim in the Saryu River and then visit the Ram temple and Hanumangarhi temple during their visit to the holy city, Rai said on Sunday.

“I’m going to Ayodhya on January 15th.” Avinash Pande,  general secretary, and UP in-charge, as well as senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and P L Punia, will visit Ayodhya. “Around 100 Congressmen will go there in total,” Rai told PTI on Sunday.

Giving details about his plan, Rai said, “A decision has been taken to visit Ayodhya on January 15. At 9.13 am, the Sun will become ‘Uttarayan’ (northward movement of the Sun), and at 9.15 am, we will depart for Ayodhya chanting ‘Jai Siya Ram’ after observing the tradition of breaking coconut.”

After arriving in Ayodhya, the Congress office-bearers will take a dip in Saryu and visit the Ram temple and Hanumangarhi.

In response to a question about whether the UP Congress intends to send a message to the public by undertaking the Makar Sankranti journey, Rai stated, “We are going there because of our religious feelings.” This is my first visit to Ayodhya since becoming the chief of the Congress unit in Uttar Pradesh. I had previously visited Ayodhya several times.”

Meanwhile, Pande, the newly appointed AICC in charge of UP, stated that the Congress has never played with people’s ‘aastha’ (faith).

“On January 15, I am going there (Ayodhya) to attend a personal program. Prabhu Shri Ram resides in our heart,” Pandey told PTI.

This is Pande’s first visit to Ayodhya after assuming the charge of in-charge of the UP unit of Congress.

Pande also said that no “political meaning” should be derived from his proposed visit to Ayodhya and that he was going there owing to his faith.

“Be it Lord Ram or Lord Krishna, the Congress has never played with the ‘aasthaa’ of the people, and will never do so,” he said.

When asked if any talks are going on with the BSP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Pande said, “The coordination committee at the national level is working on this. What discussions they had with the BSP is not known to me.”

Pande stated, “The aim of everyone is the same…we have to get rid of the undeclared emergency-like situation prevailing in the country, and all like-minded parties will have to come together with a single goal.”

When asked if the Congressmen would hold a ‘khichri bhoj’ in Ayodhya or Lucknow after returning from the holy city, UP Congress chief Rai said, “A ‘khichri bhoj’ is not required.” ‘Dahi-chura’ (traditional Makar Sankranti food) is also eaten. We can have ‘dahi-chura’ at a party worker’s house.”

Rai also accused the BJP of distributing revered ‘akshat’ (rice grains mixed with turmeric and ghee) during the inauspicious period of ‘Kharmaas’.

“I come from the city of Baba Vishwanath (Varanasi). We have faith in Lord Ram. Today, when the ‘Kharmaas’ is still underway, they (BJP) are distributing ‘akshat’, sending invites for the Ram temple consecration. During ‘Kharmaas’, they are doing auspicious work.”

During ‘Kharmas’ all the auspicious activities are forbidden from being performed, according to Lucknow-based astrologer Trilokinath Singh. The Kharmas period started from December 16, 2023 and will end on January 15, 2024, he added.

Source: PTI