Ram ji came in my dream, called consecration event a sham: Tej Pratap Yadav

Tej Pratap Yadav's statement comes as political temperatures have soared over the Ram Mandir's inauguration ceremony on January 22, months ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Ram mandir update: Ahead of the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony next week, Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav said that the revered Hindu figure appeared in his dream and told him that he won't attend the event on January 22, citing it a "sham." In an undated viral video, the Bihar's environment minister

"...Once the elections are over, nobody asks Ram ji…is it any necessary that he will attend their event on January 22…he won't come, I had a dream…" Yadav said, on Sunday, at an event in Patna.

Referring to the four shankaracharyas' call to skip the event due to its incomplete construction, he further said, "...the four Shankaracharya also had a dream…he (Ram) told me in my dream that they (the Bharatiya Janata Party) are doing a pretence, I won't attend the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.

Yadav's statement comes as political temperature remains high across India over the Ram Mandir's inauguration months ahead of Lok Sabha elections. Several opposition leaders have criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's move, alleging that they are reaping political profits in the garb of the ceremony.

The event is scheduled to happen in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya in the presence of Modi and various other leaders.

Congress declines event invite, Akhilesh Yadav to join

The members of the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA bloc) have also lodged their protest, labelling the event as "BJP-RSS event" and condemning them over "mixing religion and politics." However, the individual positions of the 28-non BJP parties remain different. While the Congress party and the Trinamool Congress party declined the invitation to the event, Samajwadi Party head and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav accepted the invite on Saturday.

Meanwhile, other INDIA allies, including former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, claimed he had not been invited to the ceremony.

Bihar INDIA ally and Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have also supported the Congress' stand of staying away from the event. Notably, while RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has himself not spoken on the matter officially, the party's second-rung leaders have reiterated that they support "secularism."

(With agency inputs)