Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given a political hue to the idol consecration ceremony at the new Ram temple in Ayodhya, terming it "unfortunate and sad".

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, in a post on his official X account, however, congratulated people on the occasion of 'pran pratishtha' (consecration) of the Ram Lalla idol at the magnificent temple in the Uttar Pradesh town on Monday.

The mega ceremony was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and watched by lakhs of people on television at their homes and in temples across the country.

Nath said the Lord Ram temple has been constructed in Ayodhya on the orders of the Supreme Court.

Since there are BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, it was their responsibility to follow the Supreme Court orders, maintained the former Union minister.

"The way the BJP has given a political hue to this programme and tried to bring religion on political platform is unfortunate and sad. Lord Ram has always been, and will always be, at the centre of faith for all of us. Politics on this is like playing with religious freedom and traditions," he stated.

Nath also claimed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was stopped from going to a temple in Assam during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the north-eastern state.

"Has offering prayer and worshipping at a temple also been banned during BJP rule? Rahul ji had to stage a dharna for permission to go to the temple. This is an attack on our faith and freedom," he said.

Gandhi was barred from visiting the birthplace of iconic Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva in Nagaon district earlier in the day on the ground a law and order problem may arise during his tour as many organisations were planning to hold events related to the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The former Congress president was stopped at Haibargaon enroute to Sankardeva's birthplace where he along with senior party leaders and supporters staged a dharna.

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