After the Congress declined the invitation to the Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya, the BJP came down heavily on the party, terming it a “well-thought-out” strategy of the INDIA alliance to “disrespect” the faith of Indians. The party said that Congress leaders have ‘lost their mind’ just as Ravana did in the “Treta Yug”.

BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli told PTI that it is official that the grand old party and its senior leaders will not be present for the January 22 ceremony in Ayodhya. He expressed little surprise, noting that over the last few decades, the Congress had taken no steps to ensure the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

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

Another BJP MP Manoj Tiwari expressed astonishment at the Ram temple trust extending invitations to “those who never wanted the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and even filed an affidavit in court calling Lord Ram an imaginary figure”.

Tiwari, in a veiled reference to the Congress leaders, commented that despite being invited, they seem to have “lost their mind,” drawing a parallel with Ravana’s behaviour in the ‘Treta Yug’ stating, “The ‘Treta Yug’ will start soon after the ‘Kal Yug’, according to scriptures. I feel that it (Treta Yug) has already begun in the time of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi. It is the start of Ram Rajya,” he told PTI.

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

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also took a jab at Congress for turning down the invitation, referring to it as a rejection or disowning of the country’s identity.

“Ram is our Lord. He represents the soul and the identity of Bharat. The turning down of the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha by the Congress is a rejection of India’s identity and culture. It is because of such positions that the Congress takes that it has been reduced to the margins today,” the former Madhya Pradesh CM said.

Also Read: Ram Mandir inauguration: UP orders liquor shops shut, schools and colleges to remain closed on January 22

BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill condemned the action, questioning it as a “well-thought-out” strategy of the INDIA bloc to “disrespect” the faith of Indians.

Shergill, who was associated with Congress before, posted on X, “DMK gave a call to finish the Sanatan Dharma Congress, rejecting the invitation to attend the inauguration of the Ram Mandir. Coincidence? or a well-thought-out strategy of INDI to disrespect the faith of Indians?”

“May Lord Ram forgive & eradicate INDI’s & Cong’s politics of hatred!” he added.

‘Congress declines inauguration invitation’

On Wednesday, the Congress party’s senior leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, turned down an invitation to the ‘Pran Pratistha’ ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla, set for January 22 in Ayodhya. Jairam Ramesh, the party’s general secretary, conveyed this decision through a statement, claiming it to be a “BJP and RSS event”.

The statement highlighted that last month, the Congress President, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. However, the leaders respectfully declined the invitation.

“Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. 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 read.