The Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday declared a public holiday on January 22 on the occasion of Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya. Before Himachal Pradesh, 15 states that have declared public holiday on January 22 are Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
Making the announcement about the public holiday, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "Tomorrow is the day of Pran Pratishtha. Ram does not belong to one particular party. Ram is an ideal for every one of us, every Indian. Ram is the culture of the people of this country. The central government has declared half day closure, but we have declared full holiday. I will also appeal people of Himachal Pradesh to light a diya in their houses tomorrow."
On Sunday, the Chief Minister participated in the recitation of Ramcharitmanas with the lighting of the eternal flame at the Shimla Ram Mandir ahead of the consecration ceremony. CM Sukhu, on this occasion, illuminated the eternal flame at the temple and sought the blessings of Lord Rama. Additionally, an Akhand Path event of religious scriptures was also organised on this occasion.
On this occasion, Sukhu said that Himachal is a land of deities and thus, he has reached today to take blessings of lord Ram.
