Rahul Gandhi Will Be Invited For "Darshan" At Ram Temple: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would be invited for a 'darshan' at the upcoming Ram temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Fadnavis, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, made the comments a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah attacked the Congress MP and announced the shrine would be ready by January 1 next year.

"Rahul Gandhi will be invited to have a darshan at the Ram temple," he told reporters here, replying to a query on Mr Shah's statement.

Devndra Fadnavis, who was in the Madhya Pradesh capital for a conference, said the construction of the Ram temple was going on at a brisk pace.

Addressing a rally in Tripura, Mr Shah said on Thursday, "Rahul baba, listen from Sabroom (in Tripura) that a mammoth Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) will be ready on January 1, 2024." Assembly polls in the north-eastern state are due by March.

Recalling the jibes the Bharatiya Janata Party had received from the Congress during the 2019 general elections, Mr Shah said, "Rahul Baba would say everyday 'mandir wahin banayenge, tithi nahin batayenge (will build a temple there but will not tell you the date)." The BJP has intensified its attack on Rahul Gandhi after Ram Janmabhoomi chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das and Ram Temple Trust secretary Champat Rai appreciated the Wayanad MP's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The Gandhi-led cross-country foot march, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7, is currently passing through Haryana.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)