The party’s central leadership has asked the state unit to suspend all its activities and focus on the campaign to take the message of ‘Sabke Ram’ (Ram belongs to all).

Party leaders in small numbers are visiting households as part of the campaign to spread the word about the consecration ceremony on January 22 to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We request you to light up five diyas on the evening of January 22 to mark the consecration ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” a local BJP leader told Pooja Bulsara, a resident of Siddhartha Apartment in south Kolkata’s New Alipore area.

The 67-year-old was presented with an image of the newly constructed Ram Temple, an invitation card to visit the temple after its inauguration and a small sachet of cooked rice that came from Ayodhya.

On Thursday evening, The Indian Express accompanied the BJP workers in New Alipore area during their door-to-door campaign.

“We are not doing this under the party banner. No one is carrying the party flag. About 5 to 6 of us are visiting households. We are requesting people to visit the temple once it opens for the public,” Abhijit Chakraborty, the BJP’ Rashbehari 1 mandal president, said.

“We are also handing out a sachet of cooked rice which came from Ayodhya along with a photo of the temple and an invitation card,” said a local BJP worker.

“It is a nice gesture. We accept their invitation. I will light up diyas to mark the occasion,” said Pooja Bulsara.

Ramesh Gupta (70), another resident of the area, said, “I did not expect them to come to our household with the message. I wish them all the best.”