The CPM Tuesday became the first opposition party to officially announce that its chief will not attend the Pran Pratishtha or consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, saying that the BJP and RSS are converting a religious ceremony into an instrument of political gain. A delegation on behalf of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust had met CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and invited him for the ceremony. “The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony,” the CPM politburo said in a statement. The party said it was “most unfortunate” that “the BJP and RSS have converted a religious ceremony into a state-sponsored event directly involving the PM, the UP CM and other government functionaries”. Hitting out at CPM, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said on X, “There are reports that a person named Sitaram will not go to Ayodhya Dham. Political opposition is understandable, but if someone has so much hatred for his own name, he can only be a communist.”
