On Wednesday, the Congress said Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony on January 22. The party made a contradictory statement about the Ram temple event and called the inauguration ceremony a “RSS/BJP” event. In addition, it also faced backlash from both party leaders and the right wing.
Three Congress Leaders will not attend the event, Why?
In a statement, the Congress said that its leaders would not be attending the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The party has claimed that the Ram Temple project in Ayodhya is a long-made political strategy of RSS/BJP.
Moreover, the inauguration of an incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been brought forward for electoral gain. Abiding by the judgement of the Supreme Court in 2019 and honouring the sentiments of millions of Lord Ram devotees, the party’s prominent leaders declined the invitation to the Ram Temple event. On this decision, some of the party leaders of Congress expressed disappointment and criticized the decision of the party.
Party Leaders Criticize the Decision to Skip Ram Temple Event
The former Gujarat Congress president and party leader Arjun Modhwadi criticized the decision of the senior party leaders on their decision to skip the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya. “Lord Shri Ram is worshipped by many… This is a matter of faith and belief of the countrymen @INCIndia should have stayed away from taking such decisions,” posted Modhwadi on X.
The prominent young leader Sachin Pilot was also not happy, similarly, several other Congress leaders, especially from Rajasthan and Gujarat questioned the decision. Apart from this, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Congress over its decision and rejection of the invitation.
BJP’s Reaction to Congress Party’s Action
The BJP criticized the Congress over its decision. The former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Lord Ram is the identity of our country. Rejecting “Pran Pratistha” invitation is like rejecting the identity of the country”.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, “I have been told that Sonia Gandhi has turned down the invitation for the January 22 function. Could we expect anything different from her? But I must say that Sonia Gandhi has shown that she has no faith in Lord Ram”.
Likewise, several union ministers and leaders from the BJP and other opposition parties condemned the Congress party’s decision and called their statement “insensitive” and “lack of faith in Lord Ram”.
Implications on Skipping the Event?
The Ram Temple holds immense significance for many Hindus, and skipping the ceremony could be perceived as disrespecting religious sentiments. Also, the Congress has traditionally positioned itself as a secular party. And this decision of them, might hamper the image and potentially benefit the BJP. Moreover, it might affect the future electoral performance of Congress and remains to be seen how it plays out in the upcoming months.
Comments 1