CM Siddaramaiah backs Cong high command's stand to skip Ram temple consecration ceremony
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday endorsed the Congress high command's decision not to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying the BJP has turned a religious event into a political affair.
In a statement, the Chief Minister charged the BJP and RSS with having turned a religious event into a party function thereby insulting 140 crore Indians.
Referring to the purported statement of the secretary of the Ram Mandir trust that Shaiva and Shaktas have no authority in the Ram Mandir, he said it has caused a controversy.
Four Shankaracharyas are reported to have boycotted the consecration of the temple "in protest against the misuse of the Ram Mandir for politics", he said.
In a statement on 'X', Siddaramaiah said, "AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader of our party Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who are not participating in the Ramlalla inauguration programme in Ayodhya, are correct in their decision, which I support."
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of the Sangh Parivar of having 'disrespected' Lord Ram and the 140 crore people of the country by politicising a religious event that should be conducted with devotion and respect for all, regardless of caste, religion, party-sect, into a party function.
"It is a betrayal of all the Hindus that a religious programme, which should have been conducted with devotion has been turned into a political propaganda," Siddaramaiah alleged.
Siddaramaiah underlined that the Congress party has remained committed to its stand since the day the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute began.
Reacting to the statement of the secretary of the Ram Mandir Trust, he said, "It has sparked a controversy. If it is true, it is an insult to all Shaivites."
Alleging that the Prime Minister, who is about to complete 10 years of rule, does not have the confidence to win the elections by presenting his achievements to the voters, Siddaramaiah said for this reason, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, he is hurriedly inaugurating the Rama temple, which is in an incomplete state, and through this, he has tried to cover up his failure by attempting to create a Hindutva wave.
The Chief Minister noted that the people of the country have been seriously observing the politics of BJP and the Sangh Parivar and will never fall victim to their trap.
"People have already started asking for the account of donations collected in the name of brick," he noted.
Averring that Congress was not against Hinduism, the CM said the grand old party is, however, against untouchability, casteism, bigotry and corruption in the name of religion. Also, it is totally against using religion for politics.
"We have no problem with the Hindu religion which has been practiced by many dignitaries of the country including Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Kanakadasa, Narayana Guru, Kuvempu but we continue to oppose the hypocritic Hindutva of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, who are using religion for ppolitical gain," he added.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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