Having turned down invitations to attend the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on Monday, several parties in the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, acutely aware of the political minefield that they are navigating, are marking the day in some way.

The parties are caught between the inevitable rock and a hard place as the BJP will frame their absence in political terms. These Opposition parties cannot go to the event as all of them believe the Sangh Parivar has turned it into a political event with the Lok Sabha elections in view. The Congress and the Left have publicly called the consecration ceremony a political event while leaders such as Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar have politely turned down the invitations saying they will visit the temple at a later date. Other INDIA leaders such as Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar have remained silent on the issue.

On Monday, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a Manipur to Mumbai yatra, will be in Nagaon district of Assam. There, he was scheduled to pay a visit to the Batadrava Than/Sattra (monastery) in Nagaon, which is the birthplace of renowned Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva. But Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Sunday said the Batadrava Than Management Committee had “forbidden” Rahul from visiting the shrine. Bordoloi alleged it had been done under pressure from the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam.

“We are happy that Rahul Gandhi will visit the Than, but tomorrow around 10,000 people will gather here. At that time we do not want Rahul Gandhi to come here, because there may be some difficulties in the process of welcoming him. Today the Karnadhar Committee of Batadrava Than Management Committee has decided that he can come tomorrow after 3 pm and we will be able to give him a grand welcome. We have already informed the local MLA, District Commissioner and SP,” news agency ANI quoted the Committee’s president Jogendra Narayan Dev Mahanta as saying.

Sankardeva propagated a form of Bhakti called Ekasharana Naam Dharma and espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals, and sacrifices. His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship. His dharma was based on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhaktas (devotees), and guru (teacher).

“Sri Sri Sankardev was one of India’s greatest religious leaders, social reformers and cultural figures. A 15th-16th century personality he continues to be a source of inspiration to people not only in Assam but all over our country. His life and teachings have acquired even greater significance now,” said Congress communications head Jairam Ramesh.

The AAP, which has flirted with Hindutva in the past, announced it would organise Shobha yatras across Delhi on Monday which will be attended by its senior leaders. It will also organise community kitchens.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had already announced that she will visit the Kalighat temple in Kolkata to offer prayers to Goddess Kali and then lead an all-faith rally. The framing for her is different given the mixed nature of her support base. The “Sarba Dharma” rally will see religious leaders from all faiths in attendance and cover different shrines, before culminating at the Park Circus Maidan, which is in a minority-dominated area.

“I will first visit the Kali Mandir on my own. Then I will do an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” Mamata said earlier this week.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who in the past openly spoke of the Sena’s participation in the demolition of the Babri Masjid, will visit the Kalaram temple in Nashik. On his visit to Maharashtra on January 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the temple located in the Panchavati area, which finds mention in the Ramayana.

Not all leaders of the INDIA alliance, however, will be visiting temples. On Monday, Akhilesh will be in Lucknow. Party sources said he would visit the Janeshwar Mishra Park to pay tribute to the late socialist leader on his death anniversary. Later, he will attend a couple of meetings at the party office in the city. The Janata Dal (United) is organising a three-day event from January 22 to 24 to mark the birth anniversary of socialist icon Karpoori Thakur. On Monday, several of its leaders, as well as those of friendly socialist parties, will attend an event in Karpoori Gram, kickstarting the three-day celebrations.