Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan plan: PM Modi to address nation; only 5 people will be on stage

As Ayodhya gears up for the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan on August 5, sources have informed about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's itinerary for the event. This comes a day after the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust laid out the details of the event.

As per sources, PM Modi will reach Lucknow airport at 10:35 am and will leave for Ayodhya by Air Force helicopter. He will then reach Saket University at 11.40 am and then visit Hanumangarhi. The Prime Minister is scheduled to spend 10 minutes at Hanumangarhi and will then reach Ram Janmabhoomi complex at noon. As per sources, he will address the nation for an hour and will leave from Ayodhya at 2.10 pm. 

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Here are the salient features of the event:

• Entry to the site will be allowed till 10:30 am - two hours prior to the event.  All invitation cards will have security codes which would work only once, to enter into the premises of the function.
• No electronics or camera will be allowed
• Only 5 dignitaries will be present on stage - PM Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Mandir Trust chairman Nritya Gopaldas Maharaj, Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath.
• Arrival of people who are aged above 90 years is not appropriate under present circumstances
• PM Modi will first do Darshan-Pujan at Shri Hanumangarhi Mandir, after which he will do puja of Ram Lalla at Ram Janmabhoomi. It will be then followed by the Bhoomi Pujan and the stage event.
• Sacred soil from more than 2000 holy places and water from more than 100 rivers has been brought to Ayodhya for Bhoomi Pujan. 
• Ram devotees have been called to organise Bhajan, Kirtan and Prasad distribution in all villages and cities while taking all necessary precautions to prevent spread of Coronavirus.

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Attendees at the event

While PM Modi's presence has been confirmed, Union Minister Amit Shah is currently hospitalised as he has been tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, BJP veterans Uma Bharti,  Kalyan Singh, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi have stated that they will not be attending the event due to COVID. Several other senior saints too will be attending via video conference. Shiv Sena too has hinted that Uddhav Thackeray will not be attending the event, insisting they don't need an invitation. 

The foundation stone of the Ram Temple slated to be built in Ayodhya will be laid on August 5. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) which will construct the two-floor temple using Sompura Marbles - spanning 161ft in length, 140ft in width, and 128 ft in height, comprising of 5 domes. In November 2019, the Supreme Court had ended the seven-decade long land dispute, awarding the Ram Janmabhoomi land to the Hindu parties and offering an alternate land to the Muslim parties for building the mosque.

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