True believers don't use religion for personal gains: Rahul Gandhi on Ayodhya invitation row

Difficult to attend Ram temple consecration as BJP has turned it into political event, Rahul Gandhi said

Amid the Bharatiya Janata Party's anti-Hindu charge against the Congress over its rejection of the invitation to attend Ram Mandir consecration, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi on January 16 said that real believers "don’t use religion" for personal gains.

"I believe in Hinduism and don’t feel the need to showcase it overtly," stressed Gandhi, a former national president of the Congress party.

Gandhi, who is currently in Nagaland as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said, “I try to live my life following the teachings of religion. I don’t spread hate and listen to people with respect. That, to me, is what Hinduism is about.”

He said that the Ram Mandir event on January 22 has become completely a “political Narendra Modi function” and this is reason why Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge declined the temple trust's invitation to attend the consecration ceremony.

“We are open to all religions and all practises. Even the biggest authority of the Hindu religion has made their view on what they think about the temple inauguration. It is difficult for us to go to a political function, designed around the PM of India,” said Gandhi.

He, however, added that the Congress has made it clear that whoever amongst its allies would like to visit the Ram temple are welcome to do so.

Speaking about his yatra, Gandhi said the march has commenced from Manipur because the state endured “grave injustice” at the hands of the BJP, with ethnic violence persisting for months.

“There has been loss of lives, loss of property and Prime Minister Modi has not even cared to visit the state, which is a sad and shameful affair,” Gandhi said.

Speaking on the current status of the INDIA alliance, the former Congress chief said that his party is having conversations with its alliance partners and the issue of seat sharing has been taken up.

“The discussions are not complex in nature and have been going well. I am quite confident, all the matters will be resolved soon,” he added.