‘Gag order’: Congress in a fix over Ram temple

NEW DELHI: Amid reports that Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi will attend the Ram temple consecration on January 22, the party on Friday said it will decide it at an “appropriate time”. The high command has also asked senior leaders to desist from openly issuing statements on the temple invitation. Though Congress leadership has not clarified its stand on the issue, several state leaders have been speaking in different voices, to the party’s chagrin.

Speaking to reporters in the capital, senior Congress leader and Maharashtra-in-charge Ramesh Chennithala said the leaders were instructed not to speak publicly on the matter. When asked if top leaders will accept the invitation extended to attend the Ram temple ceremony, Chennithala said, “High command has asked all leaders not to air our opinions publicly on the matter. The leadership will announce the decision at the right time.”

Confirming that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi have been invited to the ceremony, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh told reporters that it will decide at an “appropriate time” on whether the leaders will attend or not. “A decision will be taken at an appropriate time, and communicated at an appropriate time,” said Ramesh.

Congress’ Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also been invited to the ceremony. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust sent invitations to the leaders for the event to be held on January 22.  Ramesh also chose to distance himself from the remarks of senior leader Sam Pitroda saying that it is not an official statement of the Congress Party.

Early this week, Pitroda stoked controversy by saying that unemployment and inflation are more real issues than the Ram temple. However, Congress has not welcomed Pitroda’s statements. “Sam Pitroda’s statement is not an official statement of Congress, he doesn’t speak on behalf of the party,” said Ramesh. Pitroda had said that religion should be separated from politics. “I have no problem with any religion. It is okay to go visit the temple once in a while, but you can’t make that the main platform. Modi is everybody’s Prime Minister and not the Prime Minister of one party, and that’s the message the people of India want him to give,” he had said.

The remarks invited criticism from Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior leaders.
Besides Pitroda, senior leader Shashi Tharoor has also been consistently attacking the BJP over the politicisation of the ceremony. In an X post, Tharoor wrote, “The inauguration of Ayodhya’s Ram temple on January 22 and then the event of BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will set the stage for the 2024 election, predicting that the election dates will be called very soon thereafter…

The message is clear. In 2009, Mr Modi was sold to the Indian electorate as the avatar of economic development, the CEO of Gujarat Inc, who would bring development to all Indians. In 2019, with that narrative collapsing in the wake of the disastrous demonetisation, the Pulwama terrorist attack gave Modi the opportunity to convert the general election into a national security election,” Tharoor said.

“In 2024, it is clear the BJP will now revert to its core message and offer Narendra Modi to the nation as a Hindu Hriday Samrat,” he added. Facing heat from state units and allies, the Congress is in a quandary over accepting the invitation to attend the grand ceremony. Several INDIA partners such as CPM, CPI, TMC, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, and JD(U) will skip the event.