Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (February 12) took a swipe at the Narendra Modi government and said that he saw the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Aishawarya Rai and big businessmen like Ambani and Adani at the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya last month, but no labourer or poor people were there to be seen. Addressing a gathering at the Transport Nagar Chowk in Chhattisgarh’s Korba as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Rahul Gandhi asked people if they had seen any poor person at the Ram Mandir inauguration event on January 22.
Rahul Gandhi takes 'chai wala' jibe
"During Ram Temple’s inauguration, I saw Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Adani, Ambani, and all businessmen attending the event but I didn’t notice any poor, farmer, labourer, unemployed, or ‘chai wala’ among them," he said.
"...I did not see a farmer there. Not one labourer was seen and not one small shopkeeper was seen. But all the billionaires were seen and there they were giving long speeches to the media. Ambani ji was giving statements...You must have seen," the former Congress chief said.
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi were also invited to attend the event, however, they turned down the event dubbing it a "BJP-RSS event".
Rahul Gandhi further pointed out the disparity between the elite figures present at events such as the Ram Mandir ceremony and the everyday struggles faced by the common people.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla was performed in a historic event in Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, in which personalities of all walks of life had participated. The ceremony took place in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
PM Modi showers petals on labourers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 showered flower petals on Ram Mandir construction workers, after performing the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla's idol at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The Prime Minister had also addressed the gathering on the historic occasion.
(With PTI inputs)
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