Breaking her silence just a day ahead of the grand ‘bhoomi pujan’ of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said that the grand event could be a celebration of national unity in India along with friendship and brotherhood.
After facing continuous attacks from the BJP, Priyanka, who is also Congress general secretary and party in-charge in Uttar Pradesh, released a statement on social media. In her statement, she said, “Simplicity, courage, restraint, sacrifice, commitment, are the essence of the name Deenbandhu Lord Rama. Ram is in everyone; Ram is with everyone. With the message and blessings of Lord Ram and Mother Sita, the bhoomipujan of Ramlala’s temple became an occasion for national unity, fraternity and cultural congregation.”
She further said that the Ramayana had a deep and indelible mark in the culture of the world and the Indian subcontinent and the story of Lord Ram, Mother Sita and Ramayana had been illuminated in our cultural and religious memories for thousands of years. “Lord Ram is a shelter and also a sacrifice. Ram belongs to Sabari, Sugriva too. Ram belongs to Valmiki and also to Bhasa. Ram belongs to Kamban and also to Eshutachchan. Ram belongs to Kabir, Tulsidas belongs to Raidas. The giver of all is Lord Ram. Gandhi›s Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram is about to give everyone›s consent,” she said.
Making her stand clear on the Ram temple, she also stressed that Lord Ram belonged to everyone. Her statement was also endorsed by the Congress and party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala read out her statement released on Tuesday. In all praise and awe of Lord Ram, the Congress leader said, “Ram is courage, Ram is sangam (unity), Ram is restraint, Ram is an ally. Ram belongs to everyone. Lord Rama wants the welfare of all. That is why he is a man of dignity.” She ended her statement by saying “Jai Siya Ram”.
Before Priyanka’s statement, Congress Leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari also extended his greeting to the fellow citizens. In a tweet, he quoted the famous bhajan ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram,’ which was widely popularised by Mahatma Gandhi. He also congratulated devotees on the occasion. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath also welcomed the bhoomi pujan of Ram temple at Ayodhya and has decided to recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ at his Bhopal residence on 4-5 August.
However, the entire developments didn’t go down well with the BJP which responded with a sarcastic jibe on the grand old party. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat posted a tweet in which he took a sharp dig at the Congress and said, “On Ram temple bhoomi pujan, this statement of a party which called Lord Rama a fictional character, is a historic ‘U-turn’. There should be a historic U-turn on internal democracy in Congress too.”