On 25th December (Monday), Former UPA Law Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal described the Pran Pratishtha, or consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya as a “show-off”, hinting that he would decline any invite extended to him to attend the grand inauguration of Ram Mandir.
Notably, while responding to the news agency ANI regarding the opposition’s stance on Ram Mandir, the Former Congress veteran leader, and UPA Minister argued that Lord Ram resides in his heart and the grand spectacle for Pran Pratishtha is a “show off”.
Targeting the Bhartiya Janata Party, the Rajya Sabha MP claimed that the BJP doesn’t follow the traits of Lord Ram but they are building a Ram Mandir.
The former Congress leader said, “This whole issue is a show-off. They (BJP) talk about Ram but their behaviour, their character are nowhere close to Lord Ram’s. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are some of the traits of Lord Ram but they do exactly the opposite and say we are glorifying Ram.”
Responding to the query whether he would attend the ceremony on 22nd January, Sibal added, “Mere dil mein toh Ram hai, main koi dikhave ke liye kaam nahi karta hoon.” (Lord Ram resides in my heart, I don’t do anything for show-off).
#WATCH | On the opposition's stance on the Ram Temple, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal says, "This whole issue is a show-off. They (BJP) talk about Ram but their behaviour, their character are nowhere close to Lord Ram's. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are… pic.twitter.com/ufpBBLkpew
— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2023
He added, “Ram has taken me here, then I must be doing something right.”
Incidentally, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had earlier used the same rationale to oppose the construction of a Ram Mandir. He had claimed that no ‘good Hindu’ would want a Ram Mandir at the Babri site and urged that one should have the Ram Mandir in one’s heart.
However, it is pertinent to note that Kapil Sibal was spearheading legal course of action in courts, opposing the rights of Ram Lalla and the reclamation of the birthplace of Lord Ram.
UPA government had denied the existence of Lord Ram
In September 2007, the Congress-led UPA1 government had submitted in court that there is no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence.
In 2007, an affidavit filed by the Congress-led government read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.” The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Setusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu.
Additionally, former UPA Minister and Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal fought the Ram Janmabhoomi case for the Sunni Waqf Board opposing the building of a magnificent Ram Mandir at the then-disputed site in Ayodhya. He also employed dilatory tactics and asked the apex court to delay the decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case till the 2019 elections.
Opposition’s stance on Ram Mandir
On 22nd January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. For the grand occasion, the Ram Mandir Trust has sent invites to eminent personalities from all walks of life. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and the party’s leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have also been invited.
CPI(M) leader and I.N.D.I. Alliance member Sitaram Yechury has reportedly already turned down the invite while his counterpart in the CPI D Raja could also skip the ceremony. Further on the list now, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has hinted that he would not be attending the Ram Mandir citing Lord Ram’s place in his heart.
