CPM leader Sitaram Yechury declines invite for January 22 Ram temple event

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury. (File photo)

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) has declared its decision to abstain from participating in the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. Senior party leader Brinda Karat emphasised that while her party respects religious beliefs, it opposes the politicisation of religion.

"We have decided that our party will not participate in the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. While we respect religious beliefs, the intertwining of a religious event with politics is evident. This politicisation of a religious ceremony is not appropriate," she told news agency ANI.

CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has also declined the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony. His decision underscores the party's stance on separating religious ceremonies from political engagements, emphasising a clear distinction between matters of faith and political affiliations.

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Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee, extended an invitation to Yechury for the consecration ceremony.

In 2020, Sitaram Yechury criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, asserting that such an action constituted a violation of the Constitution both in its text and its underlying principles.

Opposition invitations

The committee has extended invitations to opposition leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, among others. Despite the acknowledgment and appreciation expressed by the Congress for the invitation from the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, the party has not definitively communicated whether its top leaders will be attending the consecration ceremony.

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Ahead of the consecration ceremony, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers are set to launch a nationwide door-to-door campaign from January 1 to 15 to extend invitations to the people for the grand opening.