‘Seasonal Hindus’: Giriraj Singh attacks Congress over refusal to attend Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha

India

Patna: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh on Thursday took a shot at the Congress after it rejected its invitation to attend the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22. He called the Congress leaders seasonal Hindus and stated that when they have to get votes, they try to become soft Hindus. “These people are seasonal Hindus; when they feel they need to get votes, they try to become soft Hindus. No one in the Congress has gone to Ayodhya since Jawaharlal Nehru. It was the Congress party itself that had done the work to take the matter to court, therefore they do not have the moral strength to go to Ayodhya,” the minister told news agency ANI.

#WATCH Patna: As Congress declined invitation to attend the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, “These people are seasonal Hindus, if they feel they are voting they try to become soft Hindus. No one in Congress… pic.twitter.com/GgZmpeUb90

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2024

Notably, the Grand Old Party said in a statement that its president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will not attend the ceremony, calling it an ‘RSS/BJP event’.
“Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have been making the temple in Ayodhya a political project for long. The inauguration of the unfinished temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has clearly been mooted for electoral gain,” the Congress statement said.

Reacting to the Congress’ decision, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that rejecting the invitation for the Pran Pratishtha is a rejection of India’s identity and culture. “Aries is our Lord. He represents the soul and identity of Bharat. The rejection of the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha by the Congress is a rejection of Indian identity and culture. It is because of such stands that the Congress is taking that it has been reduced to the margins today,” former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was quoted as saying by ANI.

Ayodhya: Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the installation of Ram Lalla’s idol at the grand temple on January 22. According to temple officials, the grand ceremony will start from January 16 and will last for seven days. Lakshmi Kant Dixit will perform the main rituals of Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla on January 22.