Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad is the latest INDIA leader to say no to attending the opening of the Ayodhya temple on January 22. “Nahi jayenge (I will not go),” he said when asked if he had been invited. He did not spell out why. On his part, Bihar BJP chief Samrat Choudhary described Lalu as “anti-Ram” and said nobody had invited him to Ayodhya in the first place.

Several INDIA parties including the Congress, the Trinamul, the NCP, the Samajwadi Party and the Uddhav Shiv Sena have already announced their decision not to go to what they deem a political event being staged by the Narendra Modi establishment.

As Bihar chief minister Lalu had stopped Lal Krishna Advani’s Ram Rath Yatra at Samastipur in 1990. The yatra was intended to whip up support for the construction of a temple at the site where the Babri Masjid stood at the time.

It is probably of note that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has not yet revealed his mind on the Ayodhya event; his party, the JDU, has publicly declared openness to the invitation.

Asked about the delay in seat-sharing among INDIA parties, the RJD chief said: "Itna jaldi ho jaata hai? Sab ho raha hai (Does it happen so quickly. Everything is happening).” Lalu was asked about spiralling speculation over a rift between him and Nitish Kumar but he declined comment.