Hours after the party officially declined the invitation to attend Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha on 22nd January, several Congress leaders have come out in the open to slam the grand old party for taking such a “political decision”. In a sharp criticism of his party, Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam went on to describe it as a “suicidal decision”.
He stressed that he is heartbroken by the fact that Congress declined the invite to the grand consecration ceremony in Ram Mandir. Taking to X, he wrote, “Rejecting ‘Invitation’ of Shri Ram Mandir is a very unfortunate and suicidal decision, I am heartbroken today.”
श्री राम मंदिर के “निमंत्रण”
— Acharya Pramod (@AcharyaPramodk) January 10, 2024
को ठुकराना बेहद दुर्भाग्य पूर्ण और आत्मघाती फ़ैसला है,आज दिल टूट गया. @INCIndia
Congress MLA from Porbandar who had earlier served as state party Chief and Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, Arjun Modhwadia, asserted that Bhagwan Ram is our beloved and revered deity, adding that Congress should not have taken such a political decision on the matter of faith.
The Gujarat Congress MLA wrote, “Lord Shri Ram is Aradhya Dev. This is a matter of faith and belief of the countrymen. Congress should have stayed away from taking such political decisions.”
भगवान श्री राम आराध्य देव हैं।
— Arjun Modhwadia (@arjunmodhwadia) January 10, 2024
यह देशवासियों की आस्था और विश्वास का विषय है। @INCIndia को ऐसे राजनीतिक निर्णय लेने से दूर रहना चाहिए था। pic.twitter.com/yzDTFe9wDc
UP Congress Chief Ajay Rai, however, resisted from commenting directly on the party’s decision to reject the invite or criticise it when the media asked for his response. Nonetheless, he took a different line from his party and colleagues who have refrained from visiting Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, he stressed that he along with the party’s UP unit will take a dip in Saryu on 15th January, Makar Sankranti.
VIDEO | "Our stand has been clear since beginning. The UP Congress leaders will take a dip in Saryu and visit Ram Lalla on January 15 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti," says UP Congress chief @kashikirai after Congress leadership decline invitation to Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha… pic.twitter.com/AVwINPNN1n
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 10, 2024
Speaking with PTI, Ajay Rai said, “Our stand has been clear since the beginning. The UP Congress leaders will take a dip in Saryu and visit Ram Lalla on January 15 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.”
Notably, earlier in the day, the Congress party stated that their supremo Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event on 22nd January. In a statement, Jairam Ramesh, the General Secretary (Communications) of Congress announced that the three top leaders of the party have declined to attend the event because it is a ‘BJP-RSS event’.
“Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and RSS has been brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 SC judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjuna Kharge, Smt Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event”, the statement shared by Jairam Ramesh read.
It is notable here that Congress has always been opposed to the Ram Mandir, even going to the extent of denying the existence of Lord Ram. Congress leader Kapil Sibal was a part of the legal battle against the construction of Ram Mandir, representing the Sunni Waqf Board, and over decades, the Congress has used all political, vocal, and ideological tools to deride those who were working to get a Temple constructed at Ram Janmabhoomi.
It is notable here that Former prime ministers Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda have also been invited. Heads of all leading political parties and former President Pratibha Patil have also been invited to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.
4 years after the historic Supreme Court verdict and after centuries of waiting for Hindus, finally the Ram Mandir is ready at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya and Ram Lalla’s idol will undergo Pran Pratishtha in the temple on January 22.
