NEW DELHI: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, which is overseeing the constriction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, on Wednesday confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the proposed temple on August 5.


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This was confirmed by Swami Govind Dev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust. “PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple on August 5. To ensure social distancing at the programme, we've decided that there will not be more than 200 people including 150 invitees,” Swami Govind Dev Giri said.


Swami Dev Giri added that before laying the foundation stone, PM Modi will offer prayers to Lord Ram at the temple and Lord Hanuman at the Hanuman Garhi Temple.


All chief ministers will be invited to the programme, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra, said in Pune.


As per the plan, the PM is expected to spend around 3-4 hours on that day in Ayodhya. He is also expected to attend Saryu Poojan’ and visit Hanumangarhi during his Ayodhya stay.


The PM is also expected to meet some of the prominent saints of Ayodhya and the members of the Trust. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be present on the occasion. Some influential Ministers from the Modi cabinet and UP government will also be present during PM's Ayodhya.


Besides the PM, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will also be present on the occasion of the beginning of temple construction.


Prominent members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, including Champat Rai, Trust General Secretary, Nritya Gopal Das, Trust President, Govind Dev Giri, Swami Permaanand, Kameshwar Chaupal, Dr. Anil Mishra, Vimalendra Mohan Pratap Mishra, Mahant Dinendra Das, Nirmohi Arena, Avneesh Awasthi, Principal Secretary Home, Anuj Jha, ex-officio Trustee and DM Ayodhya, Krishna Gopal Sangh Sir Karyavah, Nripendra Mishra, Chairman Ram Janmabhoomi Nirman Samiti, KK Sharma, Security Advisor Ram Janmabhoomi Complex and retired DG BSF, Kamal Nayan Das, the successor to Nritya Gopal Das, had met on July 18 to decide on the auspicious date of temple construction.


The members of temple trust mandated by the Supreme Court stated that "Bhoomi Pujan’’ will be done at Garbh Griha to begin temple construction. This will mark the formal beginning of temple construction for which invites have been sent out, they added.


The construction of a grand Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi of Lord Ram has been a defining issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it has been on the manifesto of the party for over two decades. The Ramjanmabhoomi Trust was formed by the Central Government after the Supreme Court's directive regarding it on November 9 last year.


In a bid to put an end to a century-old dispute, the Supreme Court in a unanimous 5-0 verdict ruled that the 2.77 acres of disputed land where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood will remain with a Central government receiver and be handed over to a Trust within three months for the construction of the temple.