Lucknow, Jan 17 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that he became a monk because of the Ram Mandir movement.

"We have been associated with movement from the beginning. However, we are not taking credit for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram. We are going there as servants," Adityanath said.

Speaking at a function, he said that invitations for the temple inauguration have been extended to the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

He said that no one has been stopped from coming to the Ram temple.

"Those who come as servants of Lord Ram are welcomed," he remarked.

The Chief Minister further said: "We are fortunate that our revered Gurudev (Mahant Avaidyanath) was one of the frontline warriors in the Ram Mandir movement. Even during that period, he had the leadership of this movement in mind and the Gorakhnath Peeth was with him. This movement progressed under the leadership of my guru, RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad."

"We consider ourselves fortunate to have participated in the Ram Temple cause. The work that several generations could not witness has come to fruition after 500 years. Over 3 lakh people have sacrificed their lives for the temple while conflicts took place more than 76 times. People associated with the Ram Temple movement used to visit Gorakhnath Peeth. Today, the Ram Temple stands in front of everyone as the result," Adityanath said.