Even as Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi released a statement on August 4 saying that the bhoomi pujan ceremony for Ram Temple on August 5 will become an occasion for "national unity", the Congress party, in general, is facing a dilemma over its stance.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the Congress leadership understands that any "false step" in terms of its stance on the issue might hurt its prospects further in the Hindi heartland, where the party has been affected the most by the Ayodhya movement and the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
"The BJP and RSS have encashed it multiple times. They always benefit politically. There is a nationalism fervour (over China)… polarisation… all these consolidate the move towards a majoritarian state. But we unfortunately cannot be seen on the other side. It will cost us politically," a senior Congress leader told the newspaper.
The Congress had welcomed the Supreme Court (SC) judgement on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit case and had said that it was in favor of building a Ram temple. However, according to the report, it has been silent over the bhoomi poojan event. Although senior leaders like Kamal Nath have welcomed the construction, yet Digvijaya Singh has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should defer the event citing "inauspicious" timing.
"If they are making it a political event… we should ensure that our position is that if you accept Lord Ram as not of just some people but of all people, excluding some people from paying obeisance to him is a disservice to Lord Ram. This is a counter narrative that has to be told. We have to tell the counter narrative," former union minister Salman Khurshid said.
However, one party leader told the newspaper that the BJP and the RSS have "earned the right to celebrate" while another said that it won't make any difference to "talk about the 1980s".
"It is better to welcome construction of the Mandir… you have no space on that platform," a leader said.
"Questioning the PM’s presence etc is futile. Has the country stopped functioning during corona? Why should we say that for the sake of criticism? It will be interpreted as if we are opposing the Ram Mandir," another leader told the newspaper.
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