Accusing the Congress of being stuck in its “rhetoric”, Union minister and BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said the party (Congress) will regret its decision to not attend the consecration ceremony of Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22.
The BJP leader was reacting after senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury turned down the invitation saying the BJP and the RSS have made the temple its political project.
“They are stuck in their rhetoric…Why take them seriously? They will regret it if they don’t go,” said Puri.
Reacting to the decision of senior Congress leaders not to attend the pranpratishtha ceremony, Union Minister Smriti Irani said “Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation.”
“Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation. It isn’t surprise that under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the party that had filed an affidavit before the court that Lord Ram is a fictional character, its leadership refused the invitation to the ‘pranpratishtha’ of Ram Temple…Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Congress, INDI Alliance has insulted Sanatan Dharma time and again. Now, the declining of the invitation to the ‘pranpratishtha’ by leaders of the INDI Alliance shows their anti-Sanatan mindset,” Irani said.
Slamming the decision of Congress leaders, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said the decision wasn’t surprising as they had denied Lord Ram’s existence.
“…It should come as no surprise. The Congress party, over the past few decades, really took no steps to see that there should be a temple at Ayodhya. In fact, Congress-UPA Government filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court to deny the existence of Lord Ram. They stood in court and never wanted an early hearing. Now that a temple has come up there, the very fact that they are saying that they won’t be there is part of what they have always believed – that they didn’t want a temple there and saying that this is an event of the BJP or the RSS is an excuse. In reality, it does not fit with the Congress party’s own thinking, otherwise, they would have been there out of affection for Lord Ram and would have been at Ayodhya and shared the excitement of millions of Indians all across the world and in India,” he said.
BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa hits out at the Congress for blaming the BJP for its decision.
“Congress’ denial to attend the Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha is their party’s stand and that’s okay, but quoting that this is a BJP event is unacceptable. I condemn their statement,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Congress turned down the invitation extended to its senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury saying the BJP and the RSS had made the temple its political project.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Ram Temple was being used by the BJP for political gains.
“Lord Rama is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” he said in a statement.
Earlier this month, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury turned down VHP’s invitation for the consecration ceremony of Shri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, accusing the saffron party of mixing religion with politics.
(With inputs from agencies)
