Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, and leader in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday ‘respectfully declined’ Ram Temple invitation by calling it RSS-BJP event.
The Congress in its statement said, “Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024.
Lord Ram 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.
However, BJP hit back at Congress after top grand old party leaders declined the invitation for the consecration ceremony for Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, saying they were always against the construction of the temple.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said “It should come as no surprise. The Congress party, over the last few decades, really took no steps to see that there should be a temple at Ayodhya. In fact, the 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, as the temple has come up in Ayodhya, the fact is that their decision reflects what they have always believed – that they didn’t want a temple there, he added saying they were saying that this is an event of the BJP or the RSS was 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,” Kohli said.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri also slammed Congress saying its leaders are stuck in their rhetoric and why take them seriously? They will regret it if they don’t go.
Another BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari questioned how will they (Congress leaders) go for the darshan? Isn’t it true that Congress fielded senior advocates to ensure that the Ram Temple is not constructed there.
