Ex-Gujarat Congress chief Arjun Modhwadia resigns over Lord Ram stance, calls out Rahul Gandhi's 'ruckus'

Congress leader Modhwadia slams party for declining Ram Temple ceremony invite, accuses Rahul Gandhi of creating ruckus during his yatra in Assam.

Published on: Mar 4, 2024, 17:42:53 IST

By HT News Desk

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Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Monday tendered his resignation from the party, citing a myriad of reasons including the party's stance on the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with then state unit chief Arjun Modhwadia during an election campaign rally at Balasinor, Gujarat. (PTI Photo)

In a scathing letter addressed to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Modhwadia expressed his deep disappointment with the party's decision to decline the invitation to witness the consecration ceremony, saying it had hurt the sentiments of the people of India.

Modhwadia said that Lord Ram is not just a revered figure for Hindus but is the "faith of Bharat". He accused the Congress party of failing to understand the sentiments of the people and criticised its decision to decline the invitation as a grave misstep.

“Prabhu Ram is not just Pujaniya to Hindus, but he is the Aastha of Bharat. Declining the invitation to witness pran pratishtha mahotsav has hurt the sentiments of the people of India. Congress as a party failed to assess the sentiments of the people,” Modhwadia said.

He also accused Rahul Gandhi of attempting to create a ruckus in Assam, which he said only served to enrage party cadres and citizens of India.

“To further distract and humiliate this pious occasion, Rahul Gandhi attempted to create ruckus in Assam which further angered our party cadres and citizens of Bharat,” he added.

Also Read: ‘Because of Assam CM’s popularity': Union minister says Rahul Gandhi ‘lost his calm’

Ayodhya and Rahul Gandhi

The Congress party declined the invitation to the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, calling it a “RSS/BJP event” for electoral gains.

At that time, Rahul Gandhi, who was on the Assam leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, tried to visit Batadrava Than, the birthplace of 15th-century social reformer-saint Srimanta Sankardeva and a sacred site for Vaishnavites, but was stopped at Haibargaon around 9am. He then sat on a dharna along with other party leaders.

In a video shared on X, Rahul Gandhi was heard asking police authorities why he was being stopped from visiting Batadrava Than.

“Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when? We do not want to create any problems and simply pray at the temple,” Gandhi told the police. “Probably, today only one person can go to the temple,” he added in an obvious jibe at PM Modi who presided over the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.

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