Kerala, Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has openly criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to personally conduct the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, predicting that it will have negative repercussions for the Prime Minister.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Aiyar expressed his views during the Kerala Literature Festival, suggesting that the absence of the four shankaracharyas — who refused to attend the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony — would be detrimental to Modi. Aiyar emphasized the distinction between ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hindutva’, implying that the Prime Minister’s involvement in the religious ceremony has been met with significant disapproval from prominent Hindu religious figures.

This criticism follows the announcement by Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the head of Uttarakhand’s Jyotir Mutt, that none of the four shankaracharyas would be present at the event. Aiyar argued that this collective decision by the shankaracharyas is a reflection of Modi’s misunderstanding of Hindu religious sentiments and could potentially backfire.

The Congress party’s top leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have also turned down the invitation to the ceremony, labeling it a “political project” of the BJP aimed at electoral benefits. This stance has been met with sharp criticism from the BJP, who accused the Congress and its allies of consistently disrespecting Hindus and Sanatan Dharma.

Aiyar’s remarks and the absence of key Congress leaders at the Ram temple inauguration signal a deepening political divide over religious and cultural symbols in India’s complex political landscape.