Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana announced that he will lead the members of the state assembly on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya Dham for darshan of the Ram temple on February 11.
Mahana extended invitations to MLAs from all parties to join the visit.
During the assembly session, Samajwadi Party MLA Iqbal Mahmood requested to visit the 5-acre plot of land allocated for the construction of a mosque in Dhannipur village, Ayodhya district, as per the Supreme Court's orders.
However, the Speaker deferred the request, stating, "Let the mosque be constructed there first, and I will consider the request after consulting the trust entrusted with the task of constructing the mosque."
Former chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who had earlier announced his intention to visit the Ram temple after the consecration ceremony on January 22, is yet to confirm his participation in the upcoming visit to Ayodhya Dham on February 11. Despite being invited by the temple trust for the January 22 ceremony, Yadav declined the invitation.
The MLAs, accompanied by their spouses, will depart for Ayodhya Dham on the morning of February 11 via bus, with Speaker Mahana also joining the journey.
Apna Dal and Suheldeo Bhartiya Samaj Party, both allies of the BJP, have announced their participation in the pilgrimage.
The decision to organize the visit was made during a meeting of leaders from all parties on February 2, preceding the commencement of the budget session of the state assembly. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had previously announced that MLAs would soon visit Ayodhya Dham, with Speaker Satish Mahana leading the yatra.
This pilgrimage follows a historic move in November last year when the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, convened in Ayodhya at the Ramkatha Museum.
The decision coincided with the anniversary of two significant events in the Ram Janmabhoomi temple construction saga: the laying of the first foundation stone on November 9, 1989, and the Supreme Court's verdict on November 9, 2019, paving the way for the temple's construction.
Previously, during the Kumbh Mela in 2019, a cabinet meeting was held in Prayagraj, and similar meetings have also been conducted in Varanasi.
