The Uttarakhand Assembly witnessed a massive uproar on Wednesday (7th February) when a Congress MLA made controversial remarks on the colour of the recently consecrated Ram Lalla Idol at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. During the discussion on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, Congress MLA from Jaspur, Adesh Singh Chauhan lamented that the Ram Lalla idol has been made black.
In reply to the BJP Minister’s reference to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the Congress MLA said, “The parliamentary work minister made several references to the temple. We welcome the construction of the temple too. But what I could not understand is that we had read in books that our Ram was ‘saanvla’ (dusky) but they made him ‘kaala’ (black).”
Notably, the Ram Lalla idol was consecrated on 22nd January 2024, ending a long wait of around 500 years. The idol has been carved out by Karnataka-based renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Krishna Shila (black stone). According to the officials, the most attractive and durable sculptures are made with Krishna Shila as it is one of the finest stones used for sculpting. The Ram Lalla Shri Vigraha depicts him in the Bal Swaroop (five-year-old child).
Krishnashila stone is a preferred material to make idols because, due to its chemical composition, it is resistant to acid, heat, and harsh weather conditions. The stone does not react to milk poured on it during Abhishek, thereby it does not pollute the milk and it can be consumed by devotees as prasad. The hard stone can endure over 1000 years without a scratch.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA’s remarks sparked a massive outrage in the state assembly. The treasury benches represented by BJP lawmakers registered their protest against the Congress MLA’s remarks on the Ram Lalla idol.
Lambasting Congress leaders, the BJP lawmakers blamed Congress for indulging in divisive politics and thus making uncalled-for remarks on the Ram Lalla’s idol.
In the assembly proceedings, State Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal who is seen sitting next to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, hit out at Congress MLA Adesh Singh. He accused the Congress party of doing appeasement politics.
The State Minister Aggarwal slammed him saying, “He is making such remarks on Lord Rama. You do anything for votes but I request you not to say such things. Can the Congress only do appeasement and vote bank politics?” He also described the Congress as a party that had denied the very existence of Ram.
The remarks escalated in a war of words between Congress MLA Adesh and State Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal. However, the Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri asked the Congress MLA to not deviate from the UCC, which was the subject of discussion, according to PTI.
Following a lengthy debate, the UCC bill was passed today in the Uttarakhand assembly with a comfortable majority during a special session. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, during the debate on the Uniform Civil Code, said on Wednesday that the state legislature is going to create history with the passing of the Uniform Civil Code and that every citizen of the state is filled with pride.
