‘Clearly RSS-BJP event’: Sonia Gandhi, Kharge ‘respectfully decline’ Ram Temple invite

financialexpress.com:

Ram Temple inauguration: The Congress party has decided to skip the Ram Temple inauguration ceremony on Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, scheduled for January 22. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had received an invite to attend the ceremony from Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.

Here is the statement of Shri <a href=«https://twitter.com/Jairam_Ramesh?ref_src=» https:>@Jairam_Ramesh

, General Secretary (Communications), Indian National Congress. pic.twitter.com/JcKIEk3afy

The party issued a statement ending speculations over the Congress’s stance on the Ram Temple event amid contradictory opinions coming from several INDIA bloc partners.

Also Read: ‘Show faith, not aggression’: PM Modi’s advice to ministers ahead of Ram Mandir opening

In an official statement, issued by Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary (Communications), it was stated that, “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,” the statement further read.

The party’s refusal to attend the high-profile event is expected to become the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP ahead of the general election.

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