Why did the Congress turn down Ram Mandir invite? Will it hurt the party in 2024 polls?
Why did the Congress turn down Ram Mandir invite? Will it hurt the party in 2024 polls?
The historic pran pratishtha or consecration ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir is just days away – it is scheduled for 22 January – and politics around the event is heating up.
The Congress’ top echelon, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and the party’s Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who had received invitations for the 22 January grand event to be held in Ayodhya have declined.
But will this decision hurt the Congress in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls?
We get you the full lowdown on the matter – from the party’s refusal to the event to the impact of such a decision on the 2024 general elections.
Congress turns down Ram Mandir invite
For the 22 January grand event, for which massive prep is being undertaken, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been handing out invites to VIPs across the country and the world.
The temple trust had also extended these invites to Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury last month. Since receiving the invitation, the party had remained non-committal on their presence at the event, until Wednesday (10 January).
It was on Wednesday that the party announced that its leaders wouldn’t attend the event on 22 January, saying the consecration event has “clearly” become an RSS/BJP event.
The party’s statement read, “Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event.”
Here is the statement of Shri @Jairam_Ramesh, General Secretary (Communications), Indian National Congress. pic.twitter.com/JcKIEk3afy
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 10, 2024
The Congress’ refusal to attend the event stems from the fact that they believe that the consecration ceremony is mostly a BJP affair. Earlier, they had questioned the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on the day of the ceremony. They have said that this clearly shows the State-sponsored nature of the event.
There are also historical reasons for the Congress to turn down the invite for the event. The Ram Temple has over the years been largely associated to the Sangh Parivar. The Congress has stayed away from the contentious dispute, and in 2019 when the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, the party had said it respected the court’s decision.
Congress’ decision and the 2024 polls
But will the Congress’ decision hurt the party’s prospects in 2024? There are many within the party who believe that staying away from the Ram Mandir event will hurt their chances in the general elections.
One Congress leader said that the BJP would use this opportunity to portray Congress as anti-Hindu. Speaking to Indian Express, he said, “The temple trust does not belong to any party and was set up by the national government. Staying away will amount to completely ceding the space… And we will be projected as anti-Hindu. After all, it was during Rajiv Gandhi’s time that the locks of the temple were opened and the shilanyas was permitted.”
Congress’ Arjun Modhwadia also questioned the party’s decision to turn down the temple invite. “Bhagwan Shri Ram is worshiped as God in India. This is a subject of trust and belief of people of India. @INCIndia should have stayed away from taking such a political decision,” he posted on X.
And the fears of a few leaders of being dubbed anti-Hindu has already fructified. The BJP hit out at the Congress for turning down the invitation for the consecration event. BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, “Congress took no steps over the last few decades for a temple in Ayodhya. They denied the existence of Lord Ram and delayed the hearing in the Supreme Court. So, the Congress party officially stating that it is not going to attend Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha (consecration ceremony) should come as no surprise.”
Jaiveer Shergill, who left the Congress and joined the BJP, was more scathing in his comments. “First Stalin’s DMK spoke of finishing Sanatana Dharma. Then Sharad Pawar’s NCP declared Lord Ram a meat eater. Today, Congress party declined the invitation to the pran pratishtha. This is not a coincidence but a well-thought plan by INDIA bloc to hurt the beliefs of Indians,” adding that ‘Nafrat ka samaan’ is sold at ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan’ spoken of by Rahul Gandhi”.
Several BJP ministers also chimed in, accusing the Congress of being anti-Hindu. Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur said, “Today when the Congress has decided to boycott the pran pratishtha ceremony, it can be clearly seen that the people of India will also boycott them.”
Women and child development minister Smriti Irani echoed similar statements. “The Congress party’s anti-Lord Ram face has been exposed before the country. They had earlier presented documents in court denying the existence of Lord Ram and now they have declined the pran pratishtha invitation,” she said.
Even poll pundits believe that the decision by the Congress will hurt its chances in the 2024 polls. The Congress’ decision to steer clear from the Ram Mandir event cements that the charge by the BJP that the party is anti-Hindu – eventually hurting its prospects in the 2024 polls.
Some pundits believe that the decision also reinstates the belief in the common man that the Congress is more interested in political appeasement. The experts believe that Congress workers will find it hard to explain to the voter why their leaders steered clear from the 22 January event and this will likely reflect at the ballot booth.
Rasheed Kidwai, a senior journalist, political analyst and long-time observer of the Congress, also notes that this decision exposes the division within the party. In an India Today editorial, he wrote that the move highlights the lack of an ‘Ayodhya doctrine’.
Divisions within INDIA bloc
And the Congress is not alone in its refusal to attend the event on 22 January. INDIA bloc partners have also made it clear that they would skip the ceremony.
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress called the 22 January a ‘gimmick. The West Bengal chief minister added that “she does not support festivities that exclude other communities”.
“Yesterday I was asked to comment on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as if I have nothing else to do. I said that religion belongs to individuals but festivals are for all. I believe only in those festivities that unite people,” she said.
“The BJP is doing it (Ram Temple inauguration) under court’s instruction but it is a gimmick show before the Lok Sabha polls... I don’t believe in dividing people on religious lines,” she added.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM)’s Sitaram Yechury said the party does not condone the politicisation of religious belief.
However, Sharad Pawar of the NCP said he would not need an invite and go there as and when it is “destined”. Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav earlier announced she will attend the inauguration if invited.
With inputs from agencies
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