Congress' soul is Hindu, party leaders should attend Ram temple ceremony if invited: Shiv Sena (UBT)
Mumbai, Jan 3: Underlining that the Congress' "soul" is Hindu, Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday said leaders of that party should attend the Lord Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya if they have received the special invitation, keeping aside political differences.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is an ally of Congress in Maha Vikas Aghadi and also a member of the INDIA bloc of opposition parties.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena (UBT) took a dig at the BJP, saying the Babri mosque wouldn't have been brought down if the prime minister at that time was from that party.
P V Narasimha Rao was the prime minister when the structure was razed in December 1992.
"If Congress has received any special invitation for the Ram temple consecration ceremony then it (the leaders) should go to Ayodhya. What is wrong with it?" the editorial asked.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi have been invited to the consecration ceremony scheduled to be held on January 22.
The Congress on Friday said it would decide about Kharge and Sonia Gandhi attending the event at an "appropriate time". Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also been invited.
"The Congress' soul is Hindu. There is nothing to hide in it," the edit said.
It is wrong to say that the BJP is the beholder of Hindutva as claimed by that party. The Congress has equally contributed to the growth of Hindu culture, it added.
"The Congress never opposed the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was of the opinion that Ram temple should be constructed in Ayodhya. It was on the instructions of Rajiv Gandhi that the famous serial Ramayan was telecast on Doordarshan," the edit said.
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West Bengal Guv accepts resignation of minister who verbally abused woman official
Kolkata, Aug 6: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Akhil Giri as the Correctional Home Minister, an official said.
He has kept open the avenues for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the legislator's alleged misconduct against woman official of the forest department, following which the ruling TMC asked Giri to resign as minister.
"The governor has accepted the resignation of Akhil Giri, minister of state (Independent charge), Department of Correctional Administration. The file was sent to the Raj Bhavan on Monday," the official said.
This, however, shall not be construed as absolving him of the responsibility of misconduct against a woman public servant.
"The CM may exercise her option to initiate an enquiry into the alleged misconduct of Giri so as to reestablish public faith in the system," the Raj Bhavan said in a post on X.
On Monday, Giri resigned from his chair, a day after the Trinamool Congress leadership asked him to step down from the ministry and apologise to a forest department woman official for threatening and verbally abusing her.
The TMC MLA from Ramnagar, however, said that he would not apologise to any official.
Giri, who has been with the TMC since it was founded in 1998, said he would write in detail to the CM regarding the events that led to his losing cool.
On Sunday, Giri, flanked by locals, was seen in videos threatening forest ranger Manisha Sahu, warning her of reducing her tenure after she and her team removed encroachments on forest department land near Tajpur beach.
Incidentally, two years back in 2022, Giri's controversial remarks on President Droupadi Murmu were severely criticised.
Party supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had to apologise for Giri's "derogatory remark" on Murmu after a massive uproar by the opposition.
FAQ
— Raj Bhavan Media Cell (@BengalGovernor) August 6, 2024
Q. We would like to know what action has been taken by Raj Bhavan on the reported resignation of Shri Akhil Giri, Minister.
Ans.
The file, regarding acceptance of resignation of Shri Akhil Giri, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Correctional…
