New Delhi, Shashi Tharoor, a senior leader of the Congress party, has criticized the upcoming consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, labeling it as an event orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for political gains.

According to Kashmir Media Service, key Congress figures including President Mallikarjun Kharge, former president Sonia Gandhi, and the party’s Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have declined the invitation to the temple’s opening on January 22. The Congress leadership has labeled the event as one predominantly associated with the BJP-RSS.

Tharoor, as quoted in a Press Trust of India report, stated that while the Congress party comprises members of various faiths who are free to practice their beliefs, the decision to not attend the temple ceremony was based on its political implications. He expressed that the timing of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony seems strategically planned to benefit the BJP’s political interests. Tharoor emphasized that the Congress party’s participation in the event would be perceived as a political stance rather than a personal choice, and it’s essential for the public to understand this distinction.

The statement highlights a continuing trend of political parties in India interpreting religious and cultural events through the lens of political advantage, particularly in the context of the country’s diverse and often politically charged religious landscape.