BJP leader Uma Bharti to skip Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya due to COVID-19 fear

Worried about the COVID-19 pandemic, senior BJP leader Uma Bharti on Monday said that she will not attend the Ram Temple 'bhoomi pujan' event in Ayodhya on Wednesday. She also added that she is worried about the health of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chief guest at the event and will lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Taking to microblogging website Twitter, the leader said she was concerned as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and some other BJP leaders have also tested positive for coronavirus.

"When I heard about Amit Shah and other BJP leaders testing positive I was worried about those attending the Ayodhya event, especially PM Modi," tweeted the 61-year-old BJP leader who was closely involved.

In another tweet, Bharti said that she has urged the officers of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas of Ayodhya and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to remove her name from the list of invitees for the ceremony.

"I will leave Bhopal this evening and until I reach Ayodhya tomorrow evening, I may be exposed to the infection. In this situation, I will stay away from the place where PM Modi and others will be present. I will reach there only after everyone has left the spot," she said in another tweet.

Sources quoted by Zee News said that PM Modi is likely to reach Ayodhya at around 11 AM on Wednesday and would stay in the city for around three hours.

He will first offer prayers at Hanuman Garhi and then visit Manas Bhawan where the idol of Lord Ram is presently kept. The prime minister then go to the Ram Janmabhoomi for the 'bhumi pujan'.