Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the Congress high command’s decision not to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya saying the ruling BJP at the Centre has turned a religious event into a political affair.
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“We are all devotees of Lord Sri Ram. But we are opposing the use of Sri Ram temple for political gains by the BJP,” Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru on January 11.
The Chief Minister claimed that voters have been seriously observing the politics of BJP and the Sangh Parivar for the last 35 years, and would not fall victim to their trap. “People have already started asking for the account of donations collected in the name of bricks,” he said.
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Mr Siddaramaiah accused the BJP and RSS of having turned a religious event into a party function, thereby insulting 140 crore Indians.
The purported statement of the secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust that Shaiva and Shaktas have no authority in the Ram mandir has led to a controversy. “It (statement of the secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust) has created a controversy. If it is true, it is an insult to all Shaivites,” he said.
Four shankaracharyas are reported to have boycotted the consecration of the temple ‘in protest against the misuse of the Ram mandir for politics’.
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Construction work at the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on December 26, 2023. Among other things, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claims that construction of the temple is yet to be completed. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
In a statement on X, Mr Siddaramaiah supported the decision of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to not participate in the inauguration programme in Ayodhya.
The Chief Minister accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of the Sangh Parivar of disrespecting Lord Ram and the 140 crore people of India by politicising a religious event that should be conducted with devotion and respect for all, regardless of caste, religion, or sect, into a party function. “It is a betrayal of all the Hindus that a religious programme, which should have been conducted with devotion has been turned into a political propaganda,” Mr Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister said that the Congress party has been committed to its stand since the day the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute began.
Claiming that Mr Modi, who is about to complete 10 years in office, does not have the confidence to win the elections by presenting his achievements to voters, the Karnataka CM said, “For this reason, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he is inaugurating the Ram temple, construction of which is yet to be completed. Mr Modi is trying to cover up his failures by attempting to create a Hindutva wave.”
Stating that the Congress is not against Hinduism, Mr Siddaramaiah said, “The party is against untouchability, casteism, and corruption in the name of religion. It is totally against using religion for politics.”