Javadekar accuses LDF and UDF of hypocrisy, says 'Bharat has changed'

The ruling LDF and opposition UDF in Kerala came under sharp criticism from senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday for their criticism of the State's involvement in the Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration ceremony, as he accused them of hypocrisy.

He also asserted "Bharat has changed."

Both the CPI-M-led LDF and opposition UDF, headed by the Congress had slammed the saffron party on Monday for allegedly turning the consecration ceremony into a state-sponsored event.

Javadekar argued that the ceremony was organised by the trust responsible for building the Shri Ram temple with public donations, rather than being a state-sponsored event.

"Bharat has changed. But, You are not. Both LDF and Congress are hypocrites. People will not forgive you but forget you!," Javadekar said in a post on 'X'.

Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the rituals related to the consecration of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya on Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had often opined that Indian secularism means the separation of religion and state.

Congressman and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan had said conflating faith with politics for electoral gains was to question the very essence of the Constitution and the democracy.

Responding, Javadekar, the BJP's in-charge for Kerala, questioned the sudden focus on Nehruvian secularism and challenged Vijayan and Satheesan to locate the term "secularism" in the Constitution from 1950 to 1975, emphasising on the historical context.

The former Union minister said that the term was added in 1975, embodying the principle of 'Sarv Dharma Sambhav,' meaning respect for all religious faiths.

"There was picture of Prabhu Shri Ram on the first page of the Constitution. Secularism was not debated in constituent assembly. Secularism word was added in 1975. It means 'Sarv Dharma Sambhav' meaning respect for all religious faiths. Leaders and pontiffs from all religions were present in Ayodhya yesterday," he further said.

He added that leaders and pontiffs from various religions were present at the Ayodhya ceremony. Only "pseudo-secularists" were notably absent.

"Only pseudo secularist like you were absent. Man with Sita and Ram both in his name and Jairam rejected the invitation," he said in an apparent reference to CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and AICC General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, whose parties had rejected the invitation.

People will also reject them, Javadekar added, responding to the charges made by Vijayan and Satheesan.

He predicted that such attitudes may not resonate with the changing sentiments of a new Bharat, where people from diverse backgrounds participated in the celebrations, emphasising on unity and shared cultural heritage.

Javadekar shared his personal experience witnessing the consecration of the Shri Ram Temple in Wayanad, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and participating in celebrations with fellow citizens in Kannur.

Addressing Vijayan, he said, "Pinarayi, yesterday in Wayanad district and all over Kerala, lakhs of devotees congregated in thousands of temples, to see the consecration of #ShriRam Temple. I witnessed the ceremony in Sri MahaGanpathy Temple, Bathery in Wayanad."

Encouraged by the extensive public participation in the ceremony across the state, Javadekar had expressed satisfaction at the significant involvement of major organisations such as SNDP Yogam, representing the numerically strong Ezhava community, and the Nair Service Society (NSS), representing the influential Nair community in the programme.