Congress plays safe, extols Lord Ram’s values to slam govt

Owaisi said the light of Indian democracy is at its “dimmest” today. “I want to ask when the government replies to this debate will it focus on 140 crore Indians or only the Hindutva population?”

The Congress danced around the issue.

In Rajya Sabha, Congress MPs Pramod Tiwari and Randeep Surjewala said it was the Supreme Court that cleared the way for construction of the Ram Temple.

“We respect that. But mind you… Ram is love, justice, tolerance, virtue and ideal… If he is all this… then the name of Ram and Ram cannot be an issue for partisan politics. It is a sin to use the name of Ram for politics and votes… To spread hatred in the name of Ram is a bigger sin and violence in the name of Ram is the path to hell. If you still don’t change… then Ram will never forgive you. Jai Siya Ram,” Surjewala said.

Tiwari added: “Many people wanted the issue to remain alive. That the bloodshed should continue so that they can continue to do their politics and secure power.”

“I had asked Kalyan Singh once as to when the temple would be built and he said when we have a government at the Centre. When that happened I asked him again and he said I will tell you later. I say this with confidence that this temple has been built because of court orders,” Tiwari said.

The Congress MPs extolled the virtues and ideals of Ram and his ideals and quoted Ramcharitmanas to slam the BJP and its government. They also argued that the consecration was done in an “incomplete temple”, a point the party had made while declining the invite extended to its leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for attending the temple opening.

“I am a proud Hindu, Sanatani and a Brahmin. But I am one who has faith in Ram, who worships him, who tries to walk on his principles. I am not a trader engaged in trading Ram. My only peeve at the consecration is that it was done in an incomplete temple. What was the hurry? The entire society has been put in danger. It is said that if an incomplete temple is consecrated it is ominous for society,” Tiwari said.

“If the temple had to be consecrated, it should have been done by priests. Why were those people there who had no association with it?”

“Both your policy and your intentions are bad. You have Lord Ram on the ballot box, I condemn you. Idhar jo baithe hain wo Bhagwan Ram ke pujari hain, aur udhar jo baithe hain wo Bhagwan Ram ke vyapari hain,” Tiwari said.

He also claimed that the temple has been constructed hundreds of metres away from the actual birthplace of Lord Ram and demanded that an all-party team of parliamentarians be formed to inspect the site.

Surjewala was scathing. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s 1929 article in Young Indian magazine, which said the ancient ideal of Ram Rajya is undoubtedly one of true democracy in which there is justice for all, he said: “Does today’s government live up to Gandhi’s ideal of Ram Rajya? I leave it to their wisdom.”

“When Ram is the epitome of justice, patience, compassion, tolerance, virtue and duty, then hatred, negativity, despair, animosity, dispute, hostility and violence cannot be spread in his name…,” he said.

Quoting a verse from Tulsi Das’s Ramcharitmanas in which he said Ram as a king himself had asked his subjects to stop him if he did injustice to them, Surjewala said, “Do the rulers of today live up to those high ideals… is it not that the voice is throttled when questions are asked, is it not that those who are asking questions to government could land in jail… Is it not that asking questions about the policies and conduct of the government could earn the wrath of ED, CBI and Income Tax.”

“When Ram is the symbol of patience and tolerance, then how the ruling forces are taking the path of division and violence… When Ram is the symbol of ethical policies and ideals… then policies of governance are sitting in the lap of some capitalists sacrificing the people’s mandate…,” he said.

In Lok Sabha, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi too argued Mahatma Gandhi’s Ram Rajya was one where none, including minorities, was discriminated against, and sought to know why BJP leaders’ “Jai Shri Ram” slogan was made not in a tone of compassion but in a tone of “bitterness and violence”.

“Why is there such bitterness, violence and hatred when they say Jai Shri Ram? If you hate people and spread hatred, and disturb others’ religious practices, you cannot be a Ram Bhakt. It seems you have forgotten the core instructions of Dr Ambedkar in the Constitution,” Gogoi said. “Our commitment is to the Constitution. Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan…”

“Truth, service, justice and compassion have also been included in our Constitution as core ideas. Mahatma Gandhi talked about Ram Rajya. He defined it as a reign where all are happy and none is sad. So, we should think whether all the backward, oppressed and minorities are happy – this was the core of Ram Rajya,” he said. “But atrocities on SCs and STs are increasing. Is this Ram Rajya? The backward are demanding caste census, as they feel they are being discriminated against. They are being deprived of proper representation in universities and in the central government. What about that Dalit girl of Unnao (referring to the rape case where a BJP leader was the accused) or the protesting female wrestlers?”

(With inputs from Vikas Pathak and Deeptiman Tiwary)