On Wednesday, the Congress party announced that Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not be attending the Ram Mandir event scheduled for January 22. In a statement, the party mentioned that while Lord Ram is revered by millions, religion is a personal matter. It criticized the BJP and RSS for politicizing the construction of the temple in Ayodhya, suggesting that the inauguration of the incomplete temple has been strategically timed for electoral gains. The leaders, in adherence to the 2019 Supreme Court judgment, have chosen to decline the invitation, referring to the event as an RSS/BJP affair.
Congress president & LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury decline the invitation “to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event”: Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary… pic.twitter.com/REc503PBVv
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2024
“Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. 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,” the statement read.
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Congress party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, cited three reasons for Congress’ decision not to attend the Ram Mandir event. First, the statement accused the RSS/BJP of turning the Ram temple into a political project. Second, it noted that the temple is not yet complete. Third, the Congress party claimed that the inauguration has been expedited for electoral gain. Despite these concerns, the party emphasized its adherence to the 2019 Supreme Court judgment regarding the Ram Mandir issue.