The political landscape in India is once again ablaze with controversy as senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, declined an invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and skip the event on January 22. The ceremony, known as Pran Pratistha, marks a significant event in the construction and establishment of the Ram Mandir, a long-standing religious and political issue in the country.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee had earlier criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the inauguration of the Ram Mandir was a political gimmick ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. While the BJP dismissed these claims, the decision of Congress leaders to skip the event has ignited a fresh round of political sparring.
Union Minister and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri responded to the Congress leaders’ decision, stating that they are stuck in their rhetoric and will regret not attending the ceremony. He dismissed their stance, emphasizing that the Ram Mandir’s construction has been a result of a 500-year-long agitation, hence the decision to skip it.
Union Minister Smriti Irani joined the criticism, asserting that the Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face is evident before the nation. She highlighted the Congress’s historical denial of Lord Ram’s existence, pointing out that the party had filed an affidavit in court claiming Lord Ram to be a fictional character.
The BJP’s national spokesperson, Nalin Kohli, echoed these sentiments, stating that the Congress’s decision aligns with its longstanding position on the Ayodhya issue. He recalled the Congress-UPA government filing an affidavit denying Lord Ram’s existence and emphasized that the Congress party did not actively support the construction of the Ram Mandir.
While the Congress leaders cited the BJP and RSS’s involvement in the temple as a political project for their decision, BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa condemned the Congress’s attempt to portray the event as a BJP function. He asserted that Congress’s denial to attend the ceremony is their party’s stand, but blaming it on the BJP is unacceptable.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh explained the party’s position, stating that the BJP and RSS had turned the construction of the Ram Temple into a political project. He accused them of bringing forward the inauguration for electoral gains and highlighted the Congress leaders’ respect for the 2019 Supreme Court judgment while declining the invitation to what they view as an RSS/BJP event.
This political tussle comes as the Ram temple in Ayodhya is set to be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and thousands of attendees expected at the Pran Pratistha ceremony. The event holds immense cultural and religious significance for millions of Indians, especially those who revere Lord Ram.
The decision of Congress leaders not to attend the ceremony underscores the deep-rooted political divisions surrounding the Ayodhya issue. It reflects the party’s historical approach to the matter, characterized by legal disputes, court battles, and a perceived reluctance to actively support the construction of the Ram Mandir. The BJP, on the other hand, sees the temple as a symbol of cultural and national pride, and the ongoing events leading up to the inauguration continue to be a focal point of political discourse in India.
