Ram Lalla idol for Ram Temple does not look like a child: Digvijaya Singh

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh has stroked a fresh controversy ahead of the "Pran Pratishtha" ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Mandir saying Ram Lalla idol being seated in the temple does not look like a child.

"I have been saying this from the beginning, where is the idol of Ram Lalla whose idol was controversial and destroyed? What was the need for the second statue? Our Guru Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj had also suggested that the idol of Lord Ram in the Ram Janmabhoomi temple should be in the form of a child and should be in the lap of Mother Kaushalya. But the idol that is being seated in the temple does not look like a child," Singh wrote on X on Friday.

Notably, ahead of the Ayodhya Rama Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony on January 22, the idol of Lord Ram was placed inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in Ayodhya on Thursday.

Covered with a veil, the first photo of the idol was revealed during the placement ceremony in the sanctum sanctorum on Thursday.

The idol of 'Ram Lalla' was carved by Arun Yogiraj - a famed sculptor from Karnataka. The idol is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The idol portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus also crafted from the same stone.

Meanwhile, the city of Ayodhya is adorned with vibrant flowers on Thursday in preparation for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple scheduled on January 22.

The Pran Pratishtha ceremony will be held in Ayodhya on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha'. A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals. Several celebrities and noted personalities have also been invited to the ceremony.

Earlier, on Tuesday Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and RSS wanted to demolish the Babri Masjid, and not build a temple because until the mosque is demolished the issue does not become a communal issue.

In a long post on X, Singh said that the Congress never opposed the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya but asked to wait till the court's decision.

"Congress never opposed the construction of RamMandir in Ayodhya. Was asked only to wait till the court's decision for construction in the disputed land. 'Bhoomi pujan' on non-disputed land was also done during the time of Rajiv ji. Narasimha Rao ji had also acquired non-disputed land for the construction of Ram temple," he said.

"But BJP, VHP and RSS wanted to demolish the mosque, not build a temple. Because until the mosque is demolished the issue does not become a Hindu-Muslim issue. Destruction is in their behaviour and character; taking political advantage by spreading unrest is their strategy. That's why their slogan was "Ram Lalla hum aayenge, Mandir wahi Banayenge," he added.

He further added that now why not build it (temple) there? When the Supreme Court gave the disputed land to the Trust?

"Only Champat Rai ji of VHP or Narendra Modi ji can answer this. My sympathies are with the families of the volunteers who were martyred in the temple construction movement and those against whom criminal cases were filed in the court. Have they been invited? Are the people of Nirmohi Akhara, who fought for Ram Janmabhoomi for 175 years, invited? Is this Raj Dharma? Is this Ram Raj?" Digvijay Singh said on X.