Congress has decided to skip the much-awaited ‘Pran Pratishtha’ (consecration) of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.Calling the consecration a “RSS/BJP” event, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have “respectfully” declined the invitation.
In a statement by Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary (Communications), Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in the country and the 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. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event,” it said.