President Murmu to visit Ayodhya on May 1, have 'darshan' at Ram temple

During the Lok Sabha campaign, Congress leaders have alleged that the President was not invited when the new Parliament House and Ram Mandir were inaugurated because she was an 'adivasi' and to ensure that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visible at these high-profile events

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu visit Ayodhya on Wednesday to to pay obeisance at the Ram temple for the first time, amid the Congress accusing the Narendra Modi-led government of not allowing her to attend the consecration of temple as she is an "adivasi".

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said she will make 'darshan' and 'aarti' at Shri Hanuman Garhi Temple, Prabhu Shri Ram Temple, and Kuber Teela during her visit to Ayodhya. "She will also do the ‘Saryu puja’ and ‘aarti’," it said.

This will be her first visit to the temple town after the consecration of the temple held on January 22.

During the Lok Sabha polls campaign, Congress leaders have alleged that the President was not invited when the new Parliament House and Ram Mandir were inaugurated because she was an 'adivasi' and to ensure that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visible at these high-profile events.

Top Congress leaders raised similar allegations in election rallies and other programmes in New Delhi, Maharashtra's Amravati, Madhya Pradesh's Bhind and Chhattisgarh while Congress president Malliarjun Kharge made such remarks in Ranchi and Nagpur.

In an interview to PTI recently, Kharge said, "He is a puppet in the hands of RSS and is anti-Dalit. He didn't allow Murmu, the first citizen of this country to do puja in Ram mandir, he didn't allow her in the Parliament too, and he didn't allow Ramnath Kovind (former President) to lay the foundation stone (for new parliament)."