Ayodhya Temple Consecration Not a BJP Event : Kishan Reddy

Hyderabad: State BJP president and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy chastised the Congress for its top leaders not attending the ceremony to consecrate the Lord Rama idol on January 22 in Ayodhya. The religious ceremony is being hosted by Sri Rama Theertha Kshetra Trust and is not a BJP event, he said.

Speaking at the party headquarters in Hyderabad, he said, “The Congress has exhibited a clear anti-Hindu stance once again. The programme is being held beyond barriers of caste and region and is filled with emotion. The temple is being opened after the due process of law was followed, after a wait of 550 years.”

The trust had sent invitations to all parties including those who don’t have religious beliefs. They exhibited maturity in doing so. Sadhus are welcoming the move and some are regretting why they have not been called.

He attributed the Congress’ stand to what he called ‘pseudo secularism.’ Those opposing the temple are eyeing votes of minorities, he claimed. The party has never had secular credentials, he alleged.

He claimed that the Congress had opposed the construction of the Ram Temple in the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme.

He said that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed the renovation of the Somnath temple when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel proposed it. Nehru also tried to dissuade then President Rajendra Prasad from attending the ceremoney. Ambassadors from other countries were asked not to attend, he said.

He claimed that the Congress had lost power in two states in the recent elections, and is tally would be further reduced in the general elections. He claimed that the Congress government in the state was arresting those distributing ‘akshintalu’ from the Ram Temple. “In one instance in Sindhi Colony, the FIR was filed after a week. This is being done to garner Muslim votes,” Kishan Reddy alleged.

Asked for his response on the criticism of Sankaracharyas that the temple was being inaugurated before it was complete, with an eye on the polls, Kishan Reddy said, “The decision on the dates was taken by the trust. The BJP is only supporting them.”

In a video message, Goshamahal MLA T. Raja Singh said, “The aim of Congress leaders is to appease the Muslims. It’s their choice whether they want to come or not. They are against Hindus. In the state an anti-Hindu party has come to power after another anti-Hindu party lost power. The Telangana people thought that as a former Hindutva activist, the CM will retain the ideology but he has had a change of heart and looks like he is anti-Rama. They are filing cases against those distributing ‘akshintalu’.”