Justifying its national leadership's decision to decline the invitation to the Ram temple consecration ceremony, the Congress unit in Kerala on Thursday said BJP's Lord Ram is a "political creation", and they are unwilling to endorse the politicisation of religion in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan, addressing a press conference here, said that the invitation to the January 22 ceremony was extended to individuals, not the party, and the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has already clarified its stance on the matter.

Those leaders who received the invitation have discussed the matter with the party leadership and taken the final decision, he said.

He said that Lord Ram is not aligned with the BJP; instead, he stands in the corridor of Birla House where the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, fell down dead while whispering "Hey Ram" after being shot.

Asserting that Ram is a revered figure for all Hindu believers in the country, Satheesan said that the Congress has no issue with the Lord of Ayodhya. "We disagree with the Sangh Parivar's attempt to politicise religion and the temple. And this is the political stand of the Congress party," he explained.

Describing the January 22 event at Ayodhya as a "political programme", he further said that the BJP is attempting to politicise religion and convert places of worship into centres of their political activity ahead of the elections.

He added that any devotee can visit the temple, but the problem lies in its politicisation. The Hindu community has now become aware of the saffron party's motives, he added.

When asked about the stand taken by the NSS, the influential Kerala Nair community outfit, against those refusing the Ram temple invitation, the Congress leader said they are free to express their opinion.

Making it clear that the Congress won't impose its opinion on anyone, he also said that the decision taken by the party was a political one.

While declining the invitation, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party president Sonia Gandhi, and party leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday accused the BJP of turning the consecration ceremony into a "political project" for electoral gain. They asserted that religion is a "personal matter." PTI LGK ANE

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.