A war of words has broken out between the ruling party at the Centre, the BJP, and the Opposition parties over the “decline” of the invitation to the Ram Temple consecration at Ayodhya by top leaders of the Congress and other Opposition members. While the Congress-led Opposition termed the Ayodhya ceremony a political one, the BJP called the Congress “anti-Ram” after the party declared that Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury would not be attending the ceremony in Ayodhya. The Left parties and the TMC have also declined to attend the ceremony, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top political functionaries, celebrities, industrialists, and a host of eminent personalities.
In a letter shared on its official handle on Wednesday, the Congress termed the mega consecration ceremony as an “RSS/BJP event.” Congress alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP have turned the temple in Ayodhya into a “political project.”
The BJP lashed out at the Congress, stating that the party’s stand and its allies have regularly “insulted” Hindus and Sanatana Dharma. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi recalled how the Congress boycotted the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building and the G20 Summit as well.
“From 2004 to 2009, Congress boycotted Kargil Vijay Diwas. The party did not issue any statement for 10 days after the Pokhran nuclear test conducted in May 1998 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government,” Trivedi said.
A day after harsh criticism from the BJP, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday endorsed the Congress high command’s decision not to attend the ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying the BJP has turned a religious event into a political affair. He also pointed out that four Shankaracharyas are reported to have boycotted the consecration of the temple “in protest against the misuse of the Ram Mandir for politics.” Siddaramaiah’s comments turned the issue into a war of words as other BJP leaders also responded to the Karnataka CM’s comments.
As the political war of words continued over invitations, TMC leader Derek O’Brien on Thursday recalled West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s over a decade-old quote that “religion is private, festivals are for everyone” and said not a truer word has been spoken.
“‘Religion is private, festivals are for everyone’, Mamata Banerjee, 2011. Not a truer word spoken,” O’Brien said in a social media post.
The TMC leader’s post came as the BJP has been criticising Opposition leaders for turning down the invitation to the consecration ceremony on January 22.
Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday “respectfully declined” the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony, with the party accusing the BJP of making it into a “political project” for electoral gains and asserting that religion is a “personal matter.”
Earlier, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had also declined an invitation, with the Left party saying religion is a personal choice and should not be converted into an instrument of political gain. It is not clear if TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee has received an invitation for the ceremony.
The Bengal CM had alleged on Tuesday that the BJP was indulging in a “gimmick show” through the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The TMC supremo asserted that “she does not support festivities that exclude other communities” and does not believe in dividing masses on religious lines.
In similar remarks, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “religion cannot be a part of politics” and accused the BJP of hiding behind religion. When asked about attending the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple, he said, “How can the BJP decide whom to invite and whom not? This does not mean a call from Lord Shri Ram; it is a call from the BJP.”
BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav said that Congress has opposed the Ram Janmabhoomi right from the beginning and left no stone unturned in putting all obstacles that it could. Karnataka BJP President CT Ravi said Congress has always been against Hindutva.
“The Somnath Temple was reconstructed by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Babu Rajendra Prasad, and KM Munshi. Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister during that time. He didn’t visit Somnath. So how can the present leadership of Congress go to Ayodhya?... First, they were lamenting that they did not receive an invitation, and when they did, they refused to accept it,” said Ravi.
Ahead of the event, the volunteers of the RSS and its affiliates, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), have been reaching out to people across the country and inviting them to join the consecration ceremony by offering prayers at temples in their neighborhoods.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and more than 6,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony on January 22. The temple trust has also invited 4,000 seers from across the country and 50 guests from foreign countries.
