Kohima: The Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration ceremony has been “captured by the Prime Minister and the RSS”, who’ve turned it into an “election function”, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi stated Tuesday, in his first feedback on the difficulty, which has emerged because the centrepiece of the BJP’s 2024 Lok Sabha marketing campaign.
Addressing a press convention on the third day of the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is at the moment in Nagaland, Gandhi stated he didn’t have any curiosity in utilizing faith for political “gain” as religion for him was a private challenge, to not be worn on his sleeve.
“The RSS and the BJP have made the 22 January function a completely political Narendra Modi function. It is becoming a BJP-RSS function. I think that is why the Congress president said he would not go to it,” Gandhi stated, responding to a query on the Congress declining the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Belief’s invitation to Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
Gandhi stated the Prime Minister and the RSS, “our principal opponents, have captured the function and turned it into an election function. The RSS and the BJP have given the 22 January function an election flavour, a political flavour”.
The Congress’s choice, introduced final week, invited sharp reactions from the BJP, which labelled it as one other proof of the Opposition social gathering and the Gandhi household being “anti-Hindu”.
On Tuesday, Gandhi stated whereas he adopted the rules of Hindu faith in his private life, he didn’t consider in makes an attempt to utilize issues of religion for private or political features. The Congress, he stated, was open to all religions and practices.
“Those who actually believe in religion share a personal relationship with religion. Those who have a public relationship with religion try to gain out of it. I don’t have any interest in gaining. I try to live my life by following the principles of my faith. I behave with people properly, I respect people, I listen to them, I do not spread hate, I do not respond with arrogance. That is Hindu religion for me. But I don’t need to wear it on my sleeve,” Gandhi added.
Whereas the social gathering has determined to skip the consecration ceremony, leaders of the Congress or some other constituent of INDIA, had been “more than welcome” to go to the temple, Gandhi stated.
He additionally referred to the truth that 4 Hindu shankaracharyas or pontiffs, – the “biggest authorities” of the Hindu faith, in keeping with him – weren’t attending the ceremony. The shankaracharyas have stated that pran pratishtha in an incomplete temple is “anti shastra”.
Requested the place he can be on 22 January, Gandhi stated he was more likely to be in Assam because the yatra has a set route.
There’s hypothesis that Gandhi will go to a Shiv temple in Assam on 22 January. Responding to a query on this on the press convention, he stated, “Frankly, I don’t know. I can check and tell you. I will be somewhere along the route of the yatra.”
The Congress MP additionally fielded quite a few questions on the standing of the INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha polls.
He stated the seat-sharing talks had been “complicated” in some locations however can be resolved. “The status of the INDIA alliance is very good. We are in conversation with our partners. The issue of seat-sharing has been taken up. A lot of it is simple, not complex,” he stated.
Over the past assembly of INDIA leaders, held just about, there was a consensus on making Mallikarjun Kharge the bloc’s chairman.
There was additionally a proposal to make Bihar Chief Minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar the coalition’s convenor, which he turned down, saying he was not a unanimous alternative of all constituents.
Gandhi sought to downplay the difficulty, saying the media “overplays such things”.
“There is humour, and brotherhood in the meetings. There is mutual respect and affection between the leaders of the INDIA alliance. It’s an ideological grouping. The small issues will be resolved and we will fight and win the polls,” he stated.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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