Kolkata:
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed his belief that the presence of opposition leaders at the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya could have overshadowed them and relegated them to a supporting role. According to Tharoor, the event belonged to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor supports the Congress leadership’s decision to skip the ceremony, stating that he would be willing to visit the temple after the general elections when the political focus on the shrine diminishes.
Tharoor clarified the Congress party’s stance, saying that all members are free to have their own religion and religious beliefs, and the party respects everyone’s religion. He emphasized that he goes to temples to pray, not to attend political events. Tharoor believes that the opposition invitees would have been reduced to supporting roles in a prime ministerial spectacle if they had attended the consecration ceremony.
Senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have respectfully declined the invitation to the Ram Temple event. Tharoor also emphasized that the BJP does not have a monopoly on Lord Ram or any Hindu deities.
Tharoor stated, “I am quite sure that a large number of Congress people will visit the temple outside of the political context. Personally, I would love to see the temple in Ayodhya, but I will only do so after the elections when the political focus has subsided. We do not want to be part of the BJP’s political exercise.”
When asked about the ongoing seat-sharing dispute between the Trinamool Congress and the Congress, Tharoor declined to comment, stating that the matter is being handled by the party’s leadership. He also avoided answering whether the Congress is seeking to survive in West Bengal with the support of the TMC.
Tharoor stressed that the main objective for all is to change the Union government led by Mr. Modi and the BJP in New Delhi. Regarding the possibility of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections, Tharoor stated that he is following the media reports and it is not within his area of responsibility. He added that any such development would be communicated by the party.
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