The consecration of the Ram Temple has become another flashpoint between the federally-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition party Congress after the latter announced it would skip the grand ceremony.
Congress justified its decision not to attend by arguing that the consecration of the Ram Temple is a "political project" of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The BJP has strongly condemned Congress' move.
'Last Nail in Congress’ Coffin'?
For its part, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) party termed Congress' decision to skip the consecration of the Ram Temple as the “last nail in the party’s coffin”.
While talking to Sputnik India, VHP spokesman Vinod Bansal said that Congress is confused as some of its members are saying that the temple is being constructed after the court’s order while others are saying that it is a political move by the BJP.
“It was a golden opportunity for Congress to atone for its sins by connecting with Lord Ram through consecration but it has missed the opportunity. The decision of Congress to skip the consecration of Ram Temple will prove to be the last nail in its coffin,” Bansal said.
What Drives Congress' Decision?
Talking about Congress’ decision, political expert Vinod Kumar Shukla said that the party is using the “political project” argument as an excuse to follow its age-old tradition of anti-Hindu politics.
“India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru was invited for the consecration of Somnath Temple in 1951 but he didn’t go. He was even not happy with the then President Rajendra Prasad who attended the ceremony. So, Congress is following its age-old tradition of anti-Hindu politics,” Shukla told Sputnik India.
Shukla opined that Congress has always followed a Muslim appeasement policy and after winning Karnataka and Telangana state assembly polls they are even more confident of getting Muslim votes.
“Muslims have lost their faith in the regional political parties so they are seeing Congress as an option against BJP. This is the reason they voted for Congress in Telangana despite the fact that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was supported by Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM),” the expert said.
He, however, said that Congress should have attended the ceremony as the temple belongs to the nation and not to the BJP or RSS.
BJP Reacts Strongly
Soon after Congress announced that its top brass will skip the consecration, the BJP slammed the opposition party by saying that their leaders have “lost their mind”.
“Congress party's anti-Lord Ram face is before the nation. It is no surprise that under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, the party that had filed an affidavit before the court that Lord Ram is a fictional character, its leadership declined the invitation to the 'pranpratishtha' of Ram Temple,” BJP lawmaker and Federal Minister Smriti Irani said while speaking to reporters.
Echoing the views of Irani, BJP parliamentarian Manoj Tiwari said that he is not surprised by Congress' decision. Rather, he was surprised by the Ram Temple trust’s decision to invite “those who never wanted the construction of Ram Temple”.
BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said that Congress' allegation that it is an event of the BJP and the RSS is just an excuse. “In reality, this (consecration ceremony) does not fit with the Congress' own thinking,” he said.