NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Lord Ram is the embodiment of love, compassion and justice as he congratulated the countrymen ahead of the ground-breaking ceremony for Ram temple in Ayodhya.


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He took to Twitter to extends his greetings to the countrymen and share his message.



His sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi also marked the oncoming ground-breaking ceremony at Ayodhya with a tweet saluting Lord Ram, marking the shift in the party's stance towards the Ayodhya issue. 


Ram is with everyone, she tweeted, expressing hope that Wednesday's ceremony at Ram Janambhoomi will become an occasion for "national unity, fraternity and cultural congregation".


"Simplicity, courage, restraint, sacrifice, commitment, are the essence of the name Deenbandhu Rama. Ram is with everyone, Ram is with everyone," read a Hindi tweet of Gandhi Vadra, who is an in-charge of the party in Uttar Pradesh, the state where Ayodhya is located.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed the ‘bhoomi pujan' of a Supreme Court-mandated Ram temple in Ayodhya, bringing to fruition the BJP's ‘mandir' movement that defined its politics for three decades and took it to the heights of power.


RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were among those who attended the event at the site where a large number of devout Hindus believe Lord Ram was born.


The guest list, including religious leaders who formed part of the movement that started in the 1980s, was restricted to 175 in view of the COVID-19 crisis.


As a priest chanted Sanskrit ‘shlokas' and the ground-breaking ceremony got underway under a giant marquee decorated in shades of reds and yellows, PM Modi and the other dignitaries, all in masks, maintained social distancing and sat a safe distance away from each other.


Slogans of ‘Bharat Mataki Jai' and ‘Har Har Mahadev' went up as the ritual ended and the Prime Minister laid the foundation of the temple.


Bhajans and ‘shlokas' were heard as the town, festooned with marigold flowers and yellow and saffron flags, celebrated the beginning of the construction of a grand Ram temple. Roads leading to Ayodhya were adorned with hoardings of the proposed temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram, the deity now housed in a makeshift temple. 


Most shops were painted in bright yellow.


The Prime Minister arrived in Ayodhya in a helicopter where Adityanath among others received him. Before the function to lay the foundation stone of the 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir', the Prime Minister took part in prayers at the Hanumangarhi temple.


From there, he proceeded to the 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi' where he performed prayers at the 'Bhagwan Shree Ramlala Virajman'. He also planted a Parijat (Indian night jasmine) sapling.


He will unveil a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone and also release a commemorative postage stamp on the 'Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir'.