Digvijaya Singh insisted that the timing of the event was "inauspicious".
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, in tweets seen as regressive by many, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put off the grand Ram temple launch event at Ayodhya on Wednesday, insisting that the timing was "inauspicious" and hinting that it was why many associated with the function had contracted coronavirus.
PM Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other top leaders are set to attend an elaborate groundbreaking ceremony in Ayodhya on Wednesday at the site that was handed over for a Ram temple following a Supreme Court verdict after decades of dispute between Hindus and Muslims.
The highlight of the event will be PM Modi installing a silver brick as a symbolic start of the temple construction.
"Modi-ji, how many more do you want to send to hospital by performing the groundbreaking rituals? Yogi-ji you please talk to the PM. How can you allow the violation of Sanatan Dharma? What is your compulsion," Digvijaya Singh posted this morning.
He said priests linked to the Ayodhya rituals, a UP minister, the UP BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have coronavirus.
"Shouldn't the UP Chief Minister and the Prime Minister quarantine themselves? Is 14-day quarantine only for the common man and not for the PM?"
The Congress leader said despite "warnings", including by a seer, the inauspicious date of August 5 had been decided upon because it suited the Prime Minister. "Is Modi's convenience bigger than thousands of years of Hindu beliefs," Mr Singh said.
"Lord Ram is central to the belief of crores of Hindus, please don't undermine established traditions."
The BJP's response to the Congress leader's tweet storm also drew from mythology. "We've been seeing since time immemorial, whenever something good is happening, 'Asurs' (demons) try to create problems. Digvijaya is doing the same," said Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra.