The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday, December 20, formally extended an invitation to former deputy prime minister LK Advani and former Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi for the upcoming consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya next month. The invitation came after the temple trust advised the two senior leaders against attending the consecration event due to considerations of age and health.

VHP president Alok Kumar said in Delhi that both BJP veterans said that they will try their best to attend the January 22 event. "The pioneers of the Ram Mandir movement, Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji were invited to attend the consecration ceremony. Both said that they will try their best to come," Alok Kumar said on X (formerly Twitter).

Advani, aged 96, and Joshi, who will celebrate his 90th birthday next month, played pivotal roles in the Ram temple movement. This movement ultimately led to the Supreme Court's decision on November 9, 2019, favouring the Hindu side in the long-standing title dispute case. The court decreed the allocation of the disputed land to a trust for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, said, "Both are elders in the (Sangh) family and considering their age, they have been requested not to come to Ayodhya for the consecration event. Both have accepted our request."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the event at the temple on January 22.