Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday slammed the Congress party for deciding not to attend the consecration ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Mandir and called the party leaders seasonal Hindus.
Singh told ANI, “These people are seasonal Hindus; when they feel they have to get votes, they try to become soft Hindus.” Singh charged Congress didn’t have the moral strength to visit Ayodhya as it delayed the case in Court. He added since Jawaharlal Nehru, no Congress leader has visited Ayodhya.
Congress on Wednesday decided that party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Sonia Gandhi will not attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. The temple trust had extended invitation to Kharge, Gandhi and leader of the party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Congress alleged that the ruling BJP and its ideological mentor the RSS have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya.
Several BJP leaders criticised Congress’ stand. Union minister Smriti Irani charged that Sonia Gandhi’s decision demonstrates her "lack of faith in Lord Ram". “I have been told that Sonia Gandhi has turned down the invitation for the January 22 function (in Ayodhya). Could we expect anything different from her? But, I must say that Sonia Gandhi has shown that she has no faith in Lord Ram,” she said.
BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, “This should not come as a surprise because over the last few decades, the Congress took no steps to see to it that there is a Ram temple in Ayodhya.” BJP MP Manoj Tiwari expressed surprise over the Ram temple trust extending invitations to "those who never wanted the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and even filed an affidavit in court calling Lord Ram an imaginary figure". "Yet they have been invited. Despite this, they have lost their mind. I realise that Ravana had also lost his mind in the 'Treta Yug'," Tiwari said.
BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill alleged that this is not a "coincidence" but a well-thought plan by the opposition INDIA bloc to hurt the beliefs of Indians under a "conspiracy to insult them". "First, Stalin's DMK spoke of finishing Sanatan Dharma. Then Sharad Pawar's NCP declared Lord Ram a meat eater. Today, the Congress has declined the invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' (consecration ceremony)."
- with PTI inputs.
