The Congress will most likely attend the January 22 inaugural ceremony of Ram temple at Ayodhya, strongly maintaining that the occasion should not be exploited for political purposes or to whip up communal sentiment; dominant sections within the party believe that there is no valid reason to abstain from such a momentous occasion.
A top leader who is privy to internal discussions told The Telegraph: “Our fight is with the BJP which is ideological and political. We have nothing against the Ram temple. We are more religious than the RSS-BJP which only exploits religion for political gains. We are of course not communal and respect all religions. Why should we boycott a Ram temple ceremony?”
Sources said that Sonia Gandhi herself set the tone of deliberations within the party by revealing her mind at a recent strategy meeting. She told senior colleagues that she favoured attending the Ram temple ceremony. In fact, no leader of consequence has so far come up with any cogent argument against the idea of participating in the January 22 function. The decision, not announced yet, may ultimately be unanimous.
Another senior leader said: “The reports about the Congress leadership being in dilemma are falsely created by the media which always conspires to help the BJP. I am yet to hear any argument within the party that supports boycotting of the ceremony. We go everywhere — temple, mosque, churches, gurdwara… why should we not go to the Ram temple inauguration? The invitation has been extended to us by the national trust formed under the direction of the Supreme Court.”
This leader added: “What was the stand of the Congress? The Congress Working Committee had passed a resolution saying that we will abide by the Supreme Court verdict. The CWC then welcomed the CWC verdict allowing the construction of the temple. Then, why should we change our stand all of a sudden? I don’t think there are two conflicting views on that. Let’s wait for the decision instead of inventing confusion and dilemmas.”
‘After the Supreme Court verdict, a statement issued by the Congress Working Committee said: “The Indian National Congress respects the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case. We appeal to all the parties concerned and to all communities to abide by the secular values and the spirit of fraternity enshrined in our Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony. It is the responsibility of each one of us to reaffirm our tradition of mutual respect and unity among all that has defined our society through the ages."
Asked at that time if the Congress wanted the construction of a Ram temple, the party’s then communications chief Randeep Surjewala had said: "After the apex court has given its judgment, we favour the construction of the temple. The court has decided the issue. No individual, group or party needs to take credit for this. Nobody should use Lord Ram, who is a symbol of dignity, sacrifice, compassion and harmony, for politics."
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had also tweeted asking every citizen to respect the court verdict and maintain social harmony. The history of Ayodhya dispute also makes it clear that the Congress was never opposed to the construction of Ram temple and only insisted on a lawful resolution which consistently and strongly opposing communal politics in the name of religion. From the installation of Ram’s idol to the opening of the locks, and even the illegal act of demolition of the Babri mosque, most critical events happened under Congress at the Centre.
Even today, the Congress is strongly opposed to the manner in which the RSS-BJP are trying to whip up religious sentiments and push aside real concerns. "We indeed oppose the misuse of Lord Ram as a political weapon. What the BJP is doing is wrong. But that doesn’t mean we have anything against the temple of Lord Ram. We believe the RSS and Narendra Modi should not come in between Ram and his devotee. It is a matter of individual faith and politics should be kept aside. We will go to the temple as devotees, not as politicians," a Congress Member of Parliament explained.
There is extreme anger in the Congress as some in the BJP ecosystem are trying to attach divinity to the persona of Narendra Modi and projecting him as the messiah who ensured that "Ram got his abode". The VHP chief Champat Rai went so far as to describe Modi as “an avatar of Lord Vishnu.” Congress leaders view such tendencies as a grave insult to Hindu religion.
