Ram Mandir: After Congress brass rejects invite, some party leaders gear up to observe ceremony

Congress leaders took a holy dip in the Saryu River amid chants of “Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai” on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

The decision of the Congress high command to keep away from the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22 did not deter some of its members from showing solidarity with the event.

Calling it a BJP-RSS event, Congress veterans Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said they would not attend the ceremony and “respectfully” declined the invite. However, soon various Congress leaders said they would be attending or celebrating the event.

On January 15, leaders from the Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress, including the party’s state unit chief Ajay Rai, and MP Deepender Hooda from Haryana, took a holy dip in the Saryu River at Ayodhya amid chants of “Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai” on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti. Uttar Pradesh Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra and Congress National Secretary In-Charge Dheeraj Gurjar were also present there.

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“Today we will have the ‘darshan’ (sighting) of Lord Ram and today is the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti, so we took a holy dip in the Saryu river and will take the blessings of Lord Ram,” Rai said.

Simultaneous prayers in Karnataka

The Congress-run Karnataka government has instructed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to arrange special prayers at all government-run temples on 22 January.

The state’s Endowment Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, said prayers in 34,000 temples across Karnataka will be held simultaneously with the “Pran Pratishtha” ceremony in Ayodhya. Reddy also said that BJP alone cannot stake claim to the Hindu faith. “The BJP seeks to indulge in divisive politics and trade on people’s devotion to Prabhu Sri Ram. People can see the naked attempts of the BJP to claim the power of Lord Ram as its own,” he said.

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The state unit of the BJP took a dig at Reddy’s efforts. “It's ironic that the Congress, which is always against Prabhu Shri Ram and known for questioning and even ridiculing his existence, are now doing Ram Japa,” BJP Karnataka posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Himachal unit praises PM Modi

The party’s Himachal Pradesh unit chief Pratibha Singh commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to construct the Ram Temple. She also said that her late husband and former Chief Minister (CM) Virbhadra Singh had “immense faith in gods and renovated several temples in the state”. A day later, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the party does not need any invitation to go to Ayodhya. "We will go to Ayodhya after the consecration ceremony," he said.

Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh also reiterated his decision to attend the event, saying that his father and former CM, the late Vir Bhadra Singh, was a devotee of Lord Ram. “I remain committed to my earlier statement. I intend to visit Ayodhya, not as a politician but as the son of late Virbhadra Singh, a devout follower of Lord Ram. How can I refuse this putra dharma (duty as a son)? I have conveyed my views to senior party leaders. And I oppose the RSS, VHP, BJP,” said Singh.

Karan Singh to hold celebrations in Jammu

Senior Congress leader from Jammu and Kashmir, Karan Singh, said that after the Supreme Court ruling on the temple, there should be no hesitation in attending the function. In 2019, the top court had ruled for a Ram Temple to be built on the site.  Singh, 93, said he won’t be able to attend the event owing to “ill health,”  However, his family trust will hold special celebrations on the occasion in Jammu and New Delhi.

Some Congress members expressed their disappointment with the party’s decision to officially decline the invite.  Former Gujarat Congress President Arjun Modhwadia said the party should have refrained from making the "political decision". Other senior Congress leaders from the state also agreed with him.

भगवान श्री राम आराध्य देव हैं।

यह देशवासियों की आस्था और विश्वास का विषय है। @INCIndia को ऐसे राजनीतिक निर्णय लेने से दूर रहना चाहिए था। pic.twitter.com/yzDTFe9wDc

— Arjun Modhwadia (@arjunmodhwadia) January 10, 2024

Modhwadia, who is the Porbandar MLA, criticised the decision saying that Lord Ram is an object of faith for the country's people. "Bhagwan Shri Ram is revered as a God in India. This is a matter of trust and belief for the people of India. @INCIndia should have avoided taking such a political decision," he posted on X.

Agreeing with Modhwadia, former Rajula MLA and working president of the Gujarat Congress, Ambarish Der posted on X, "Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram is our worshipable deity, so it is natural that the faith of countless people across India has been attached to this newly constructed temple over the years."