Row after Shah, Yogi link inflation stir to Ram Mandir

Questioning the timing of the Congress protest against rising prices of essential commodities in the country, Shah said that there was no raid, no fresh summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate.

Accusing the Congress of “hidden appeasement”, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the opposition party chose the date August 5 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on this day two years ago — to protest wearing black clothes as its leaders were against the temple.

Congress workers at the protest outside the party headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. (Amal K S/HT photo)

“Congress chose this day for protest and wore black clothes because they want to give a subtle message to further promote their appeasement politics because on this day itself (in 2020) Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of Ram Janambhoomi,” Shah told news agency ANI.

Questioning the timing of the Congress protest against rising prices of essential commodities in the country, Shah said that there was no raid, no fresh summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

“They called for a protest today. I can’t understand why the protest was planned for today. Earlier, when protests were organised, they used to wear their regular dress, but today they all were dressed in black. They have tried to give a message that they are opposed to the laying of the foundation stone and construction of the Ram temple. They don’t have the guts. Despite repeated defeat in elections, Congress is continuing with its appeasement politics,” Shah said.

He said that as a responsible political party, the Congress should follow the law.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, too, called the nationwide protest by the Congress an “insult to Ram bhakts”.

“Till now, the Congress was protesting in normal attire but today they protested wearing black clothes. They chose this day as today is Ayodhya Diwas, which marks the beginning of the construction of Ram Janambhoomi. It’s an insult to Ram bhakts, Ayodhya Divas, democracy, and judiciary. We condemn such acts of the party,” Adityanath said in a video tweeted by him.

Congress leaders denied the charges, and called linking the protest to the Ram Mandir a “desperate attempt” to divert attention from the issue.

“Home Minister has made a desperate attempt to divert, distract, polarise and give a malicious twist to today’s democratic protests of Congress against price rise, unemployment and GST. It is only a sick mind which can produce such bogus arguments. Clearly, the protests have hit home!” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, calling Rahul Gandhi’s comments that India was witnessing the death of democracy under Modi “shameful and irresponsible”, former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad accused the Congress leader of blaming government institutions for the Congress’s successive defeats in polls under his leadership.

Referring to the protest by the Congress on Friday, Prasad said the demand for a discussion on inflation and unemployment was just an excuse, as the main aim was to intimidate the ED and save the “family”.

Responding to Gandhi’s accusation that the BJP-led central government had placed its own people in important institutions such as the judiciary, electoral bodies and the media, Prasad said it was the Congress leader’s grandmother (the then prime minister Indira Gandhi) who imposed the Emergency, suspended people’s democratic rights and spoke about “committee judiciary”.

“He has made a shameful and irresponsible comment about Indian institutions today... Stop demeaning the institutions of India to safeguard your corruption and misdeeds,” he said.

He said that the Congress has lost elections repeatedly under Gandhi’s leadership. “Why do you blame democracy when people of India reject you with repeated regularity?” asked Prasad. He also asked Gandhi if there is democracy in his party.

“Two days back when the discussion was held in Parliament on price rise, Congress leaders participated in it. Discussing inflation and unemployment is just an excuse, they (Congress) want to scare and intimidate the ED and save the (Gandhi) family,” said Prasad.

The former law minister raised the issue of alleged corruption and cheating in the National Herald case. He said Rahul Gandhi should tell people “why is he on bail?”

Prasad said under the leadership of Modi, there is no corruption. “Democracy under the Congress party had become an epitome of corruption. But today under Narendra Modi’s leadership, there is no space for middlemen; there is no cut in defence deals,” he said.