On Congress's Ram Temple Stand, Kerala Chief Minister's Scathing Response

Responding to questions on pro-Ram Temple reactions from political parties, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Wednesday said, "The CPI(M) has already made it's stand clear. I don't need to repeat that. Our country has crossed 19 lakh cases of COVID-19. We should think about how to overcome this. There are people who have been pushed to poverty because of the crisis...other things can be seen later".

In a rather scathing response, the Chief Minister did not mince his words when asked about Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or Congress's "support" to the Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.

"I am not surprised at Priyanka Gandhi's statement. It shouldn't surprise you all either, is what I think. We know what has been the stand of Congress at all times. What was Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao's stand... Their reaction is part of history," he said.

"If the Congress had a clear concept of secularism, this situation wouldn't have risen for India. Soft Hindutva is what Congress always followed. When Sangh Parivar activists charged towards the Babri Masjid to demolish it, who turned a blind eye towards it and remained indifferent?" Mr Vijayan said.

Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had marked the ground-breaking ceremony at Ayodhya with a tweet saluting Lord Ram.

"Simplicity, courage, restraint, sacrifice, commitment, are the essence of the name Deenbandhu Ram. Ram is with everyone, Ram is with everyone," read a Hindi tweet of Ms Gandhi Vadra, who is an in-charge of the party in Uttar Pradesh, the state where Ayodhya is located.

"With the message and grace of Lord Ram and Mother Sita, the Bhoomipujan ceremony of the temple of Ram Lalla became an occasion for national unity, fraternity and cultural congregation," read another tweet, in a reminder of the clash and bloodshed over the issue for decades.

In a series of tweets, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, lawmaker from Thiruvananthapuram, defended the Congress stand saying, "Let's be clear: @INCIndia was NEVER opposed to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but to the criminal demolition of the BabriMasjid. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhiji allowed VHP to do shilanyas on non-disputed land nearby as an alternate site"

"At the same time it was NOT Rajiv Gandhi who ordered opening of the locks at the masjid, but the district judge of Faizabad who ordered the locks to be opened in 1986!" he said.

"Some Left-liberal intellectuals are accusing @INCIndia of being BJP-Lite. Yes, many leaders welcomed the Ram temple after the SC judgement. But they did NOT instigate Hindus against Muslims.They did NOT make hate speeches against the Muslim community.They hailed the ideal Ramji." Mr Tharoor added.