As Congress on Wednesday refused to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony on January 22 citing it as a ‘BJP, RSS event’, several BJP leaders took a jibe at the grand old party saying ‘it has missed a golden opportunity to reduce its sins’.
‘Congress did not deserve such an invitation’
Hitting out at Congress, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The VHP had given the Congress party a golden opportunity to reduce its sin by extending their leadership an invitation to attend the Shri Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Mahotsava. Although, in my humble view, they did not deserve such an invitation at the first place for their views against the Ram Mandir from the very beginning.”
‘Congress making excuses’
Noting that ‘the grand old party is making excuses’, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said, “There are no facts in Congress’s allegations.”
This programme is religious. Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution has given rights to all religions. This is not a BJP-RSS programme. This programme has been organised by Ram Mandir Trust. The Congress party is making excuses. They needed some excuse not to go to this programme. They do not like to see Narendra Modi’s face. The public will answer this in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he told ANI.
‘Congress hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus’
Condemning the stand of the Congress, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said, “Rama idol is being installed on a special occasion in Ram Mandir. It is a bad thing that they are refusing to attend special occasion.”
“It is an unforgivable and wrong decision that has hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus. A time will come when those who do not regard good work will repent,” he added.
The senior Congress leaders–Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury–have ‘declined’ the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh, said in a statement.
“Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024,” he said in the statement.
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Published: 11 Jan 2024, 05:43 PM IST