Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit back at Congress after top grand old party leaders declined the invitation for the consecration ceremony for Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, saying they were always against the construction of the temple.
BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said "It should come as no surprise. The Congress party, over the last few decades, really took no steps to see that there should be a temple at Ayodhya. In fact, the Congress-UPA government filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court to deny the existence of Lord Ram. They stood in court and never wanted an early hearing."
Now, as the temple has come up in Ayodhya, the fact is that their decision reflects what they have always believed - that they didn't want a temple there, he added saying they were saying that this is an event of the BJP or the RSS was an excuse.
"In reality, it does not fit with the Congress party's own thinking, otherwise, they would have been there out of affection for Lord Ram and would have been at Ayodhya and shared the excitement of millions of Indians all across the world and in India," Kohli said.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri also slammed Congress saying its leaders are stuck in their rhetoric and why take them seriously? They will regret it if they don't go.
Another BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari questioned how will they (Congress leaders) go for the darshan? Isn't it true that Congress fielded senior advocates to ensure that the Ram Temple is not constructed there.
"They called Lord Ram, a fictional character. The rejected Ram Setu. This has been their mindset from the beginning. I don't think their thinking is going to change...But people of the country have given the message that besides Lord Ram, PM Modi resides in their minds...Lord Ram belongs to not only BJP and RSS but to every individual. If Congress feels that Lord Ram is not theirs, it is their problem," he added.
'Clearly an RSS/BJP event': Sonia Gandhi, Kharge
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, and leader in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury 'respectfully declined' Ram Temple invitation by calling it RSS-BJP event, calling it RSS-BJP event.
The Congress in its statement said, "Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024.
Also read: Ram Mandir's first gold gate installed ahead of 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony. See photo
