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“Is clearly an RSS/BJP event..”: Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony
Congress on Wednesday informed that senior leaders, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not be attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony slated to take place on January 22.
In a statement released by Congress, the party informed that Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received invitations to the Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony; however, the senior leaders have decided not to attend as the grand old party has stated that BJP and RSS “have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya.”
“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,” reads the statement released by Congress.
The statement released by the party's general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserts that the RSS/BJP has turned the construction of the Ram temple into a political venture. The Congress has also maintained that the temple remains unfinished, stating it as another reason for not attending the event. In addition, the party has criticized BJP for holding the inauguration for electoral advantages, ahead of the elections.
The much-anticipated consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is scheduled to take place at 12:20 pm IST on January 22, 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with various dignitaries such as athletes, movie stars, spiritual leaders, and businesspersons, will be in attendance to mark this significant event.
