Ram temple invite: Cong's north, south units divided; BJP hits out

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday slammed the Congress' decision to decline the invitation to its three top leaders to attend the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, claiming it has exposed the party’s “inherent opposition to India’s culture and Hindu religion.”

The Congress shot back at the BJP, asserting that four Shankaracharyas have also decided not to attend the ceremony since Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate an unfinished temple to further the political agenda of the Sangh Parivar.

The chasm between the Congress leaders, however, could not have been starker.

On Wednesday, former Congress state unit chief Kamal Nath and his son, Lok Sabha member Nakul, wrote the name of Lord Ram 108 times each on blank papers after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Simaria.

“Each person will write the name of Bhagwan Ram 108 times. These papers with 4.31 crore ‘Ramnam’ will be collected and sent to Ayodhya in two buses on January 22,” Nakul Nath said.

PTI reported that the party's Uttar Pradesh unit plans to go ahead with its own event a week earlier in the holy town.

Over a hundred workers will be visiting the temple on January 15 to observe Makar Sankranti.

“There is no change in the programme. The Congressmen from the state, including me, will go to Ayodhya as per our scheduled programme,” Ajay Rai told PTI.

The Kerala unit of the Congress on Thursday said BJP's Lord Ram is a “political creation” and backed the party leadership in declining the invite.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah charged the BJP and the RSS for having turned a religious event into a party function, thereby insulting 140 crore Indians.

Referring to the purported statement of the secretary of the Ram Mandir trust that Shaivas and Shaktas have no authority in the Ram Mandir, he said it has caused controversy.

Four Shankaracharyas have reportedly boycotted the temple's consecration "in protest against the misuse of the Ram Mandir for politics," he said. "It has sparked a controversy. If it is true, it is an insult to all Shaivites," he said.

"People have already started asking for the account of donations collected in the name of brick," he added.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reiterated her party’s (Trinamool Congress’) stand of boycotting the Ram Temple consecration ceremony.

On Thursday, she wrote to Prime Minister Modi requesting the Centre to recognise Bengali as a 'classical language' and declare the upcoming Gangasagar Mela, held annually in the state, a 'national fair'. She also invited him to attend the fair.

"Religion is private, festivals are for everyone" Mamata Banerjee, 2011. Not a truer word spoken," Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said in a post on X.

The Sangh Parivar affiliates continued to urge citizens to celebrate January 22 by visiting nearby temples.

Vishva Hindu Parishad’s international working president Alok Kumar released a two-part Hindi comic book, published by Suruchi Prakashan, on the struggle to construct the Ram Temple.