BJP tears into Congress for declining Ayodhya invite

New Delhi: Labelling the Ram Temple inauguration an event of the BJP and RSS, Congress turned down the invitation for the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony of Ram Temple, scheduled to be held on January 22, after which the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have slammed the grand old party, terming it "unfortunate, painful and shameful."

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress declared that it would skip the massive inauguration ceremony being planned for the Ayodhya Ram Temple, saying it was a "political project" of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad

Reacting to the issue, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony of Lord Ram is a matter of joy for the whole nation.

"It is very unfortunate, painful and shameful... They had always opposed Ram Janmabhoomi... The Congress Party had ruled the country, yet where has it reduced itself to today? It will be wiped out in future elections as well. Is this a programme of the Sangh? This is a programme of the nation; the whole world is waiting for it," Prasad told ANI on Thursday.

Sudhanshu Trivedi

BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing a press conference, said that Congress only boycotts everything, whether it is the 'pran pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple or the Bharat Ratna ceremony of former President Pranab Mukherjee.

"Congress boycotted the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building. Congress boycotted G20 Summit...From 2004 till 2009, Congress boycotted Kargil Vijay Diwas. Congress did not give any statement for 10 days after the Pokhran nuclear test conducted in May 1998 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. Congress had also boycotted the Bharat Ratna ceremony of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who belonged to their party. The public is also boycotting them from power," Trivedi said.

Keshav Prasad Maurya 

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that declining the invitation has proven that Congress is against Lord Ram.

"The invitation was not sent by the government or the BJP. It was sent by the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Declining the invitation has only proved again that they are against Lord Ram. They had already called Lord Ram a fictional character," Maurya said.

(ANI)