Ram Mandir: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday (January 19) stoked a fresh controversy with his remarks over the new idol of Ram Lalla to be seated in the sanctum sanctorum of the grand temple being constructed in Ayodhya, and said that “it does not look like a child”. This comes after the 51-inch Ram Lalla idol, sculpted by Mysuru-based artist Arun Yogiraj, was placed in the ‘Garbh Griha’ during the placement ceremony on Thursday, the pictures of which were shared by media in-charge of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Sharad Sharma.
The Congress leader questioned the need for a second idol in the temple and said that the idol should have been in the form of a child who would be in the lap of his mother Kaushalya.
“What was the need for the second statue? Our Guru Late Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Ji Maharaj of Dwarka and Joshimath had also suggested that the idol of Lord Ram in the Ram Janmabhoomi temple should be in the form of a child and should be in the lap of Mother Kaushalya. But the idol that is being consecrated does not look like a child,” Singh posted on X, in Hindi.
Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha
The idol, to be unveiled on January 22 during the inauguration of Ram Mandir at a historic consecration ceremony, weighs 1.5 tonnes and portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus, also crafted from the same stone.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony will be held in Ayodhya on January 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform rituals to mark the 'Pran Pratishtha'. A team of priests led by Lakshmikant Dixit will lead the main rituals. Several celebrities and noted personalities have also been invited to the ceremony.
Digvijaya Singh’s previous charge at BJP, RSS
Earlier, Digvijaya Singh alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and RSS wanted to demolish the Babri Masjid, and not build a temple because until the mosque is demolished the issue does not become a communal issue.
In a post on X, Singh said that the Congress never opposed the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya but asked to wait till the court's decision.
"Congress never opposed the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Only asked to wait till the court's decision for construction in the disputed land. 'Bhoomi pujan' on non-disputed land was also done during the time of Rajiv ji. Narasimha Rao ji had also acquired non-disputed land for the construction of Ram temple," he said.
"But BJP, VHP and RSS wanted to demolish the mosque, not build a temple. Because until the mosque is demolished the issue does not become a Hindu-Muslim issue. Destruction is in their behaviour and character; taking political advantage by spreading unrest is their strategy. That's why their slogan was "Ram Lalla hum aayenge, Mandir wahi Banayenge," he added.
(With ANI inputs)
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