New Delhi, August 2: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are yet to receive formal invitations for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5. LK Advani became the public face of the Ram temple movement after he carried out his rath yatra for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Joshi was at the helm of affairs of the BJP when the Ram temple movement was at its peak. Ram Temple Bhoomi Pujan: Several Places in Ayodhya Illuminated Ahead of Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony on August 5 (Watch Video).

According to multiple reports. Advani and Joshi had not recieved any formal invite from any quarters till Saturday. However, NDTV has reported that the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, set up to oversee the construction of the Ram temple, invited the two leaders for the "bhoomi pujan" via phone calls on Saturday. Advani and Joshi will attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya via video conferencing, NDTV also reported. Ram Temple Bhoomi Pujan: Ayodhya Houses Painted Yellow for Temple Construction Ceremony.

The list of invitees has not been revealed by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. However, it is confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the grand event. Last week, Advani and Joshi got recorded their statements in a special CBI court in Lucknow in the Babri mosque demolition case. Advani maintained in his statement in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court that the case registered against him was "politically motivated".

Joshi had told the court that he was innocent and falsely implicated in the case by the then Congress government at the Centre. The BJP leader had also called the prosecution witnesses in the case as "liars". Advani, Joshi, and others have been accused of being involved in the conspiracy to demolish the mosque.

The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was brought down on December 6, 1992, by 'karsevaks' who believed the structure was built at a spot that is the birthplace of Lord Rama. The decades-old dispute was settled last year when the Supreme Court ordered that the site be given to a trust to build a Ram temple, and that alternative land be provided to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya for a mosque.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 02, 2020 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).