Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has stirred up a huge controversy with his comments on the Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
Explaining what the Opposition bloc INDIA will do if it comes to power in the centre, Mr Patole said the alliance whose members include Tamil Nadu's DMK and West Bengal's Trinamool Congress will undertake a "shuddhikaran (purification)" of the Ram temple.
"We will do shuddhikaran of the Ram mandir. This is not just INDIA saying. The shankaracharyas of Sanatana dharma also agree that we need to do a purification of the Ram temple," Mr Patole told news agency IANS.
"The way Narendra Modi performed pran prathistha of the Ram Lalla against the advice of the shankaracharyas, we will correct it. The country knows he performed puja in an incorrect manner. Shankaracharyas have said it was not the way," the Congress leader said.
Before the temple's inauguration in January, at least two of four shankaracharyas - the most important Hindu religious leaders - had announced they wouldn't attend the event, citing failure to follow norms and a "political angle" to the event.
BJP leaders strongly criticised Mr Patole's comments, and accused the Congress of working to sabotage the interests of Hindus.
"These are those people of Congress party who had challenged the existence of Lord Ram by giving an affidavit in the Supreme Court. They also challenged the Ram Setu's existence by giving an affidavit. They used to ask the question of whether Ram was imaginary or real," Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told news agency ANI.
He said the Congress deliberately diverted the Ram temple issue, while the BJP government started building the temple only after the Supreme Court gave a decision.
"So if the credit for it goes to anyone, then it goes to PM Modi. He pays tribute to all the people who tried for 495 years to build the Ram temple. The Congress has not done anything and the biggest thing is that they boycotted the consecration ceremony. Those who deny Lord Ram and boycott the temple, I believe have no right to say this," Mr Fadnavis said.
Another BJP leader, Shaina NC, slammed the Congress over what she said was "not knowing anything about faith, belief or cultural ethos."
"Nana Patole has always made ridiculous comments and to say that Ram Lalla needs to be purified first I would say that the Congress party and its thought process need to be purified, only then should you comment on Ayodhya and Ram Lalla," she said.
The temple construction was supervised by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. The ground-breaking ceremony was performed in August 2020 by PM Modi. He inaugurated the temple in January this year.
With inputs from IANS and ANI
