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‘Missed a golden opportunity’: Himanta after Cong declines Ram Temple invitation
The Congress on Wednesday said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leader Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the Congress party missed a “golden opportunity” to atone for “sins against Hindus” by refusing to attend the inauguration ceremony of Ram Temple and claimed that the now Congress would continue to be viewed as “anti-Hindu”.
The Ayodhya Ram Temple inauguration ceremony is scheduled for January 22.
“Whether knowingly or otherwise, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had given a golden opportunity to Congress leadership to atone for some of their sins committed against the Hindu community and Hindu civilization. But by not accepting the invitation, they (Congress) have missed a golden opportunity,” Sarma said.
The Congress on Wednesday said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leader Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony stating that it was a “political project” of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the inauguration ceremony was for “electoral gain”.
Sarma said that in his opinion, the Congress leaders should not have been invited to the event.
Sarma said that such a tradition was started by Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru when he boycotted the Somnath temple function. The same is being continued by the present Congress leadership. “Now, for years and decades to come, Congress will continue (to be viewed) as an anti-Hindu party,” he added.
When asked if the Assam government would grant permission for Congress to go ahead with Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state, Sarma said that his government would provide all necessary clearance.
“Assam government has no objection to the program, but the BJP might take some political measures,” Sarma stated.
“Playgrounds of schools and colleges will not be allowed to be used on working days. If they want, they can hold it in a paddy field, and I will instruct the local authorities to level the ground for it. If Rahul Gandhi comes to visit me, I have no issues in meeting him,” he said.
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The 6,713-km yatra from Manipur to Mumbai is set to start on January 14. It will pass through 110 districts in 15 states, covering 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments.
Debrabrata Saikia, Congress leader of opposition in the Assam assembly, said that religion is a private matter, but the BJP is mixing it with politics.
“The four topmost seers of Sanatan Hindu Dharma, the Shankaracharyas, have themselves refused to take part in the January 22 event as the temple is not complete yet,” Saikia said.
As practising Hindus and not political Hindus, she said, it would have been improper for the Congress leaders to attend the ceremony.
