Invite list for Ram temple consecration revealed

While confirmation about who is attending will only be known in Monday morning, the list is one of the most elaborate one seen in recent memory

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, and sporting icon Sachin Tendulkar are among India’s crème de la crème who have been invited as state guests for the consecration of the Ram temple on Monday. While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.

According to the list, Bachchan will fly into Ayodhya in a private chartered plane for the opening of the 161-feet tall pink sandstone shrine. From the film industry, the list features Tamil superstar Rajnikant as well as Telugu mega stars Prabhas, Allu Arjun and Junior NTR. Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher and Ajay Devgn are on the list, which also features Kangana Ranaut, Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar, chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, sprint queen PT Usha and fooballer Bhaichung Bhutia are among the prominent sports personalities who have received invitations as well as billionaire Mukesh Ambani as well as Ratan N Tata, chairman emeritus of salt-to-software Tata Group. It is not clear how many of them will actually attend the ceremony. While some on the list may fly in private jets on January 22, others are likely to take regular flights to reach a day earlier and stay overnight either in Ayodhya or nearby cities like Lucknow.

Govt warns of news outlets to refrain from content that will disturb harmony

The government on Saturday issued an advisory to media outlets and social media platforms cautioning them against publishing any false or manipulated content related Ram temple event in Ayodhya on Monday.

The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said it was observed that certain unverified, provocative and fake messages were being spread, especially on social media, which can disturb communal harmony and public order. Ahead of the consecration of the idol of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya, many people have received fake messages related to VIP invitations, donation drives and prasaad of the mega event.

The consecration ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya will be held on Monday with pm Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries in attendance. The advisory asked newspapers, private satellite TV channels and publishers of news and current affairs on digital media to refrain from publishing and telecasting any content that may be false or manipulated or has the potential to disturb communal harmony or public order in the country. 

“Further, as part of their due diligence obligations, social media platforms are advised to make reasonable efforts to not host, display or publish information of the nature mentioned above,” the advisory stated. The ministry flagged the relevant portions of the Norms of Journalistic Conduct, the Programme Code laid down by the Press Council Act and the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act.

80,000
No of people expected to attend the ceremony

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