BJP tears into Congress for declining Ayodhya invite: ‘Anti-Hindu’, ‘lost its mind as Ravana did in Treta Yug’

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, “Congress took no steps over the last few decades for a temple in Ayodhya. They denied the existence of Lord Ram and delayed the hearing in the Supreme Court. So, the Congress party officially stating that it is not going to attend Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha (consecration ceremony) should come as no surprise.”

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said, “This is nothing new for those who called Lord Ram imaginary. This is the same Congress that once promised to rebuild the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. In 2024, the Congress that has boycotted Lord Ram will be boycotted by the people.”

BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill charged, “First Stalin’s DMK spoke of finishing Sanatana Dharma. Then Sharad Pawar’s NCP declared Lord Ram a meat eater. Today, Congress party declined the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha. This is not a coincidence but a well-thought plan by INDI Alliance to hurt the beliefs of Indians,” adding that “’Nafrat ka samaan’ is sold at ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan’ spoken of by Rahul Gandhi”.

Slamming the Congress, senior BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani said, “They (Congress) had filed an affidavit in court that Bhagwan Ram has no existence. Congress leaders turned down the invitation for the consecration of the Ram temple at Ayodhya Dham. For all devotees of Lord Ram, this moment is an important one from the point of view of religion, faith and belief. Under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Congress, the INDI Alliance repeatedly insulted Sanatan Dharm. Their rejection of the invitation shows what INDI Alliance thinks about Sanatan Dharm.”

Irani has twice contested against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha elections from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, defeating him in 2019.

Attacking the Congress, former Karnataka chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda said, “The Congress people have gone completely mad because the blessings of Lord Ram are in favour of the BJP. People across the country have been favouring PM Modi and his work in the last 10 years. This time the Congress will not even reach more than 50 seats across the country.”

The BJP charged that the “Congress has lost its mind as Ravana did in Treta Yug”. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari targeted the Congress leaders for declining the Jnauary 22 invitation, telling PTI that “Ram Rajya of Treta Yug” was back in India today under PM Modi’s rule and that those who will not attend the consecration ceremony will “repent” for the rest of their life. “Ravana had also lost his mind in Treta Yug,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Congress announced that Kharge, Sonia and Chowdhury have “respectfully declined” the invitation to attend the consecration event, charging that the Ayodhya Temple has been turned into a “political project” by the BJP and the RSS and that the consecration event has been brought forward for “electoral gain” in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.