Congress in by-poll bound Madhya Pradesh went all out to celebrate the bhoomi pujan ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya as it organized a full-scale celebration, along with worship of Lord Ram, at party headquarters in Bhopal.
Former chief minister and MP Congress Committee chief Kamal Nath led the celebrations and worship on Wednesday evening.
The entire party office was lit with electric bulbs and lamps. Playing of band and bursting crackers also marked the occasion. Kamal Nath and other Congress leaders offered prayers to a portrait of Lord Ram set up on a temporary dais in the party office. Kamal Nath’s official bungalow at Shyamla Hills was also lit up on the occasion.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kamal Nath and several Congress leaders had held a Hanuman Chalisa recitation function, but stopped short of linking it to the Ram temple ceremony. Rather, Congress called it an event to wish for progress and prosperity of the state. However, on Wednesday, the celebrations were organized full-fledged at the party office.
Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Nath said that it was an historic day for the country and the start of construction of Ram temple is a moment of happiness for everyone. He reiterated that it was former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who in as early as 1989 called for Ram-Rajya in the country and talked of construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “This is nothing new and so there should not be attempts to take credit,” Nath said.
He added that he would have been happy if chief ministers of all states, representatives of all languages, all sects, castes and religions from across the country would have been invited to attend the ceremony.
“This is not about people from north, south, east or west, but about the entire country. What is India known for? It is known for its diversity and multi-cultural nature. Is there any other country with so many Gods, languages, sects or religion? If everyone was represented, then this event would not have been only an event for the country. The entire world would have watched at how the people of a diverse country like India were standing united behind the programme and how it had unanimous consent,” Nath said.
BJP has been terming Congress’s overtures on Ram temple as a farce being played out for political gains. Retorting, Kamal Nath had on Tuesday said that the BJP did not have a patent on religion.
Earlier in the day, during the bhoomi pujan ceremony in Ayodhya, all prominent BJP leaders in MP engaged in worship, prayers and celebrations.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was discharged from the hospital after getting cured of COVID-19, sent out many tweets with one of them saying that there have been leaders of decades and centuries, but prime minister Narendra Modi was a leader of five centuries.