Ahead of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lala in Ayodhya’s Ram Temple on January 22, AICC in-charge of Telangana, Deepa Das Munshi, has emphasized that a temple is a place of faith and not for politics. The Congress leader’s remarks come in response to the controversy surrounding the party’s declining of the invitation to the event.
Deepa Das Munshi reiterated the party’s stand on the matter and stated, The decision has already been conveyed by the AICC so I have nothing to say beyond that. She further clarified that visiting a temple is a personal act of faith and not a political statement. Whoever will go to the temple, it is on our faith. So, we are with our faith. We don’t go to a temple for political reasons; we go to a temple for our faith. So, we are very clear about this, she added.
Despite the senior party leaders declining the invite, some of the Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders visited Ayodhya after the controversy. Congress leader Ajay Rai, along with party leaders Avinash Pandey, Deepender Hooda, and Akhilesh Pratap Singh, paid their respects at the Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya.
Reacting to this, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM and BJP leader KP Maurya accused the Congress of having a dual character. He said, I have no objection to anyone visiting Ayodhya Dham. People are seeing the dual character of Congress today. On one side, they rejected the invitation, and on the second side, they have sent a delegation to the Ram Mandir.
It is noteworthy that senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had declined the invitation to the grand event. Jairam Ramesh, the party’s general secretary, released a statement explaining their decision. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honoring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS and BJP event, the statement read.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony, which marks the installation of the deity in the temple, has gained significant attention nationwide. The Ram Temple’s construction in Ayodhya has been a long-standing and contentious issue, with political parties expressing various perspectives.
As the ceremony approaches, the debate surrounding political participation in religious events continues. For Deepa Das Munshi, it remains clear that visiting a temple is an act of personal faith rather than a statement of political allegiance. The contrasting decisions made by Congress leaders regarding the invitation have sparked further discussions about the intersection of politics and religion.
