Ram Mandir: Congress' decision to decline the inauguration invite exposes its opposition to Hindu religion, says BJP

Ram Mandir will be inaugurated at Ayodhya on January 22. File pic

The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress' decision to decline the invitation to its three top leaders to attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, claiming it has exposed the party's inherent opposition to India's culture and Hindu religion.

Due to its feelings of "jealousy, malice and inferiority complex" towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress had gone to the extent of opposing the country and is now opposing God, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters. The Ram temple in Ayodhya symbolises the highest values of Indian traditions and culture, he said, but for the Congress and other opposition parties with a similar mindset extremist politics is more important, he alleged.

Trivedi noted that Iqbal Ansari, the Muslim litigant in the land dispute case involving the temple and the Babri mosque which one stood there, was also extended an invite which he has accepted but it is the Congress which has chosen to boycott the ceremony. He claimed that it has been the main opposition party's tendency to create hurdle during historic moments for the country.

"Whenever the page of history turns, the Congress instead of standing with it has opted to boycott," he said, citing a host of events, including the inauguration of the new Parliament building, enactment of the GST, presidential addresses to Parliament by Ram Nath Kovind and Droupadi Murmu. People have also continued to keep the Congress away from power but it is not getting any wiser, he said, adding the party had an opportunity to redeem its past mistakes but it has wasted the chance.

He also rejected the Congress' contention that the BJP and the RSS had appropriated the entire event, scheduled for January 22 in Ayodhya, saying there is no division among people in the temple. It should not be linked to any organisation or ideology, he said. The BJP spokesperson wondered if the Congress still stands with the idea of rebuilding the mosque, which was torn down by a frenzied mob in Ayodhya in 1992.

Noting that the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to the association of President Rajendra Prasad and some leaders of the Congress with the rebuilding and inauguration of the Somnath temple, Trivedi claimed the Congress is continuing with his legacy and has disowned the 'Ram Rajya' concept of Mahatma Gandhi. The temple is coming up after 500 years of struggle and has stirred national pride, he said.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday "respectfully declined" the invitation to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, with the party accusing the BJP of making it into a "political project" for electoral gains.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.