A political slugfest ensued in the southern state of Karnataka after the Congress party announced its decision not to attend the consecration of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday hit out at the grand old party, saying that he was not surprised by the decision and that the party has been against the Lord Ram temple from day one.
"The BJP is not surprised by the decision of the Congress. Their intention was very clear from day one. When Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, the next day BJP ruled state governments were dismissed by the then Congress government. On every occasion, the grand old party has proved that they are against the Rama Janmabhoomi movement," Vijayendra said.
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These statements come after the Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury "respectfully declined" from attending the much-anticipated and grand inauguration of the Lord Ram temple in the holy city.
{{/usCountry}}These statements come after the Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury "respectfully declined" from attending the much-anticipated and grand inauguration of the Lord Ram temple in the holy city.
{{/usCountry}}In this light, the Karnataka BJP leader alleged that the Congress never believed in Lord Ram, adding that the Siddaramaiah-led government in the state may even withdraw its decision to conduct special prayers in temples under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Endowment Department on January 22, news agency PTI reported.
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"Their mindset is very clear. In spite of getting the invitation for the inauguration of Ram temple, the rejection by the Congress party and their reluctance to attend the auspicious event, clearly shows that they are upset with the way things are going on, especially after the outcome of the election results in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh," Vijayendra further said.
"They have also realised that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are going to create history by coming back to power for the third consecutive term," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)