The Congress will skip the Ram Mandir inauguration event in Ayodhya on 22 January, the party said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said:
"Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson, Smt Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024.
Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event."
The announcement by the party came days after invitations were extended to Gandhi, Kharge, and Chowdhury. The party had been contemplating over the possibility of any of its leaders attending the event.
The invitations have also been extended to several other Opposition leaders including former PM Manmohan Singh, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury.
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