Lucknow, Dec 26
As a few Opposition leaders turned down the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, the BJP has reacted stating that “only those invited by Lord Ram will come.”
Earlier on Tuesday, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat had said that her party will not attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Temple, while asserting that the BJP was “politicising a religious programme”.
“Our party will not attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya… We respect the religious beliefs but they are connecting a religious programme with politics… This is the politicization of a religious programme. This is not right,” Karat was quoted as saying by news agency.
Reacting to the statement, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi said, “…The invitations have been sent to all. Those called by lord Ram will only reach.” Meanwhile, turning down the invitation, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that this was “straightforward politicisation of the religious beliefs of the people, which is not in consonance with the Constitution.” The party, in a statement, underlined its belief that religion is a personal choice.
“Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain.
Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X. “The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony,” the party said. It added that it is “most unfortunate” that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.
Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Monday remarked that ‘Lord Ram is in his heart’, and therefore he does not do anything to show off others.
Speaking to media, Sibal said, “This whole issue is a show-off. They (BJP) talk about Ram but their behaviour, their character are nowhere close to Lord Ram’s. Truthfulness, tolerance, sacrifice, and respect for others are some of the traits of Lord Ram but they do exactly the opposite and say we are glorifying Ram…”
“…Mere dil mein toh Ram hai, main koi dikhave ke liye kaam nahi karta hoon..,” he added.
Last week, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leader Sonia Gandhi had also received invitations from a delegation on behalf of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple. An invitation was also delivered to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh since he was not entertaining visitors owing to ill-health. Sources said Nripendra Misra, Chairman, Ram Mandir Construction Committee, and ex-officio member of the Trust, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sampark Pramukh Ram Lal and VHP international working president Alok Kumar met Gandhi and Kharge and invited them to the ceremony.
Grand arrangements are being made at Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony after which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would address a gathering of roughly 8,000 people.
