Sonia, Kharge declines Ayodhya invite for ‘incomplete’ Ram temple; BJP's ‘Congress can never change’ charge
The BJP accused the Congress of opposing Lord Ram and the faith of millions of people, and there were some strands of dissent from within
New Delhi The Congress on Wednesday said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, his predecessor Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22, calling it a “RSS/BJP event” and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of making the event into a political project for electoral gains.
The decision sparked a political controversy -- the BJP accused the principal opposition party of opposing Lord Ram and the faith of millions of people, and there were some strands of dissent from within. The three Congress leaders were among a host of political leaders, dignitaries and celebrities invited for the Ram temple inauguration ceremony, to be presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“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,” the party said in a statement.
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“While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment [that paved the way for the temple] 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.”
The announcement ends weeks of speculation on whether the senior leaders will attend the ceremony for the Ram Temple, which has been a part of the BJP’s electoral manifesto for decades and is expected to be a major plank for the party in the 2024 poll campaign. The three leaders also join a group of Opposition leaders such as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury who have already declined the invitation.
The decision faced criticism from the BJP.
“The behaviour, character and face of the Congress can never change. This is the same Congress which had given an affidavit calling Shri Ram imaginary. This is the same Congress which had promised that we will build Babri Masjid again at the same place. This is the same Congress which had raised an army of lawyers to ensure that Ram Lalla’s temple is not built. This is the same Congress which has been opposing Ram Setu and everything related to Shri Ram,” said Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur.
”The Congress has always talked about crushing and destroying sanatan dharma through its allies. It is this Congress that has spread the false theory of Hindu terrorism. If today they have boycotted Ramlala, then the people of this country will boycott them in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024,” Thakur added.
There were some murmurs of dissent from within the party too.
“Lord Shri Ram is an adorable god. This is a matter of faith and belief of the countrymen. @INCIndia should have stayed away from taking such political decisions,” said Arjun Modhwadia, former Gujarat unit chief, on X.
Congress minister in Himachal Pradesh, Vikram Aditya Singh, called the event a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and thanked the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad for inviting his family. “This is not a political issue...As a Hindu and a sanatani, I will be present,” he said.
Some other Congress leaders maintained that Ram temple is a matter of faith and individual leaders are free to visit any religious place.
On December 29, the Congress had said the three leaders were invited for the inauguration and added that the party would announce its decision at an appropriate time. People aware of the matter said a section of the leaders favoured the Congress’s presence at the event while senior leader Rahul Gandhi opposed it, saying that building the temple was the BJP’s pet plank and that the event would turn out to be a show of strength ahead of the 2024 polls.
On January 6, Kharge said that religion is matter of personal faith and anyone is free to go anywhere.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to perform the pran pratishtha (consecration)ceremony on January 22.
Congress national general secretary and the party’s newly-appointed incharge of Uttar Pradesh, Avinash Pande had earlier saidthat he along with state Congress president will visit Ayodhya on January 15.
“I and Ajay Rai... along with whosoever UP Congress leader is interested to tag along, will go to Ayodhya for darshan on January 15” he had said during a press conference held in Lucknow on Sunday.