Congress in a bind over the Ram temple: the “gag order

The Congress parliamentary party chairwoman Sonia Gandhi is said to be attending the January 22 dedication of the Ram temple. However, the party announced on Friday that it would make a decision at a “suitable time”. Senior commanders have also been advised by the high command to refrain from making public comments on the temple invitation. To the dismay of the party, a number of state leaders have been speaking in disparate voices on the matter even though Congress leadership has not made clear where it stands.

Senior Congress politician and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala told reporters in the capital that the leaders had been told not to discuss the issue in public. “High command has asked all leaders not to air our opinions publicly on the matter,” Chennithala said when questioned about whether or not senior officials will accept the invitation to attend the Ram temple event. The decision will be made public at the appropriate time by the leadership.

Jairam Ramesh, general secretary of the AICC, confirmed to reporters that Congress chairman Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi had received invitations to the event. The AICC will choose whether or not the leaders would attend at a “suitable time.” According to Ramesh, “a decision will be taken and communicated at an appropriate time.”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has also been invited to the event. The leaders received invites from the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust for the January 22 celebration. Additionally, Ramesh made the decision to disassociate himself from senior politician Sam Pitroda’s comments, claiming that they do not represent the official position of the Congress Party.

Pitroda stirred some controversy early this week when he said that the Ram temple was not as important as unemployment and inflation. Congress, however, has not applauded Pitroda’s remarks. “Sam Pitroda does not speak on behalf of the party; his statement is not an official statement of Congress,” Ramesh said. Pitroda had said that politics and religion were to be kept apart. I don’t have any issues with any religion. You may sometimes visit the temple, but that cannot serve as your primary location. The message that the people of India want Modi to convey is that he is the prime minister of everyone, not just one political party, he had said.

Senior figures, including Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, criticized the statements.
In addition to Pitroda, veteran lawmaker Shashi Tharoor has been criticizing the BJP for politicising the event on a regular basis. “The opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 and the subsequent event of the BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will set the stage for the 2024 election, predicting that the election dates will be called very soon thereafter,” said Tharoor in an X post.

The meaning is evident. The Indian people was duped into believing that Mr. Modi, as the CEO of Gujarat Inc. and the face of economic progress, would benefit all Indians. This was in 2009. According to Tharoor, Modi used the Pulwama terrorist incident in 2019 to change the general election into a national security election, since that narrative collapsed after the catastrophic demonetisation.

“It is evident that the BJP will return to its fundamental platform in 2024 and present Narendra Modi to the country as a Hindu Hriday Samrat,” he said. The Congress is torn on whether to accept the invitation to attend the big event since they are receiving criticism from state units and friends. A number of INDIA partners would not be attending, including TMC, CPM, CPI, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, and JD(U).

Party retracts its position on Pitroda’s comments
Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary of the Congress, also made the decision to disassociate himself from senior politician Sam Pitroda’s comments, stating that the party does not endorse them. Pitroda said earlier this week that the Ram temple is not as important as unemployment and inflation. Congress, however, has not applauded his remarks. “Pitroda does not speak on behalf of the party; his statement is not an official statement of Congress,” Ramesh said.