Congress's senior Gujarat leader Arjun Modhwadia went public with his criticism of his party today over its decision to turn down the Ayodhya Ram temple invite. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Modhvadia posted a copy of senior leader Jairam Ramesh's statement. Accompanying it was a remark.
"Lord Shri Ram is an adorable god. This is a matter of faith and belief of the countrymen. @INCIndia should have stayed away from taking such political decisions," read a rough translation of his post.
The other quarter from where the Congress had a hint of dissent is now silent.
Karnataka, the state the Congress won last year, is celebrating the Ram temple consecration. Its Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has defended the decision, saying "ultimately we are all Hindus".
"I'm a Hindu; I'm a Ram bhakt; I'm a Hanuman bhakt. We all pray from here. We have it within ourselves, in our hearts. There is nothing to politicise here," Mr Shivakumar had said.
Today, days after the Left Front did so, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, his predecessor Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha leader Adhir Chowdhury declined the invite, alleging it was a "political project" of the BJP.
"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 the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain," read the statement from Jairam Ramesh.
It brought forth an avalanche of protests and condemnation from BJP leaders. From accusing the Congress of being anti-Hindu, the BJP even compared it to Ravan of Ramayana.
"Congress took no steps over the last few decades for a temple in Ayodhya. They denied the existence of Lord Ram and delayed the hearing in the Supreme Court. So, the Congress party officially stating that it is not going to attend Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha (consecration ceremony) should come as no surprise," said BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli.
"This is nothing new for those who called Lord Ram imaginary. This is the same Congress that once promised to rebuild the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. In 2024, the Congress that has boycotted Lord Ram will be boycotted by the people," said Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
"Ravana had also lost his mind in Treta Yug" is back in India today, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.
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