Advani says he was a 'charioteer', Modi chosen by Lord Ram to construct Ayodhya temple: Reports

Veteran BJP leader L K Advani, who led the Rath Yatra that ended in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, has reportedly said he was merely a 'charioteer'.

Advani is expected to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22. The Vishva Hindu Parishad had said mid-December that the 96-year-old has said he "will make every effort to come".

According to reports, in a soon-to-be-published interview given to Rashtra Dharma, a right-wing publication, Advani has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "chosen by Lord Ram to renovate the temple". The interview is titled 'Ram Mandir Nirman, Ek Divya Swapna Ki Purti'.

Modi -- who had stood beside Advani during the Rath Yatra -- is expected to play a part in the ceremony on January 22.

"Today the Rath Yatra completed 33 years. When we started the Rath Yatra on the morning of September 25, 1990, we did not know that the faith in Lord Ram with which we were starting this Yatra would take the form of a movement in the country," a source quoted Advani as saying in his article.

"After a few days (into the Yathra), I realised I was just a charioteer. The main message was the yatra itself, that was the 'chariot' was worthy of worship because it was going to Lord Ram's birthplace."

Prime Minister Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are the popular politicians who will attend the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.