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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'Creator of modern India': Cong pays tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday paid rich tributes to India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying his democratic, progressive and inclusive values are the cornerstone of India and will always remain so.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hailed Nehru as the architect of modern India and the one who took India from zero to the peak.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid floral tributes to Nehru at his memorial 'Shantivan' here.
India's first and longest-serving prime minister, Nehru was born on this date in 1889 in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad (now Prayagraj). He was one of the leading faces of the country's freedom struggle. He breathed his last on May 27, 1964.
In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "Respectful tribute to the creator of modern India, creator of institutions, first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, on his birth anniversary. Democratic, progressive, fearless, visionary, inclusive ' these values ''of 'Hind Ke Jawahar' are our ideal and the cornerstone of India and will always remain so."
In his post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "On the 135th birth anniversary of 'Hind ke Jawahar', the architect of modern India, the one who took India from zero to the peak, the one who made India develop in scientific, economic, industrial and various fields, the one who constantly gave the message of 'unity in diversity' to the country, the fearless sentinel of democracy and our source of inspiration, we remember his unprecedented contribution to the country."
He also shared an excerpt from Nehru's 'The Discovery of India'.
Priyanka Gandhi shared a quote by Nehru which states that fear is the foundation of all the evils in the world.
"When we achieved independence after decades of struggle and countless sacrifices, there were still people who used to play the politics of scaring and misleading the innocent public. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji fought them bravely and told the common people - 'Daro Mat (Do not be afraid)'!"
"People who spread fear among the public cannot be true representatives of the public. Public servants stand in the forefront with their heads held high so that people can live without fear. Pandit Nehru ji always taught the people to be fearless and serve without fear, and on the other hand kept the public supreme at every stage of nation building," she said in her post in Hindi on X.
She hailed him as "the creator of modern India".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that on November 14, 1949, India's prime minister was presented with an Abhinandan Granth as he turned 60.
"The Editorial Board for the preparation of this magnificent 700-page volume had some of the most distinguished names in Indian public life as members-- Rajendra Prasad, Puroshottamdas Tandon, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, K.M. Munshi, Govind Das, Vishwanath More, Nandalal Bose, S.H. Vatsyayan, and Lanka Sundaram. Over a hundred personalities and scholars from across the world contributed to the Granth," he said.
Governor General C Rajagopalachari's opening was very brief but was, as always, telling and conveyed much, Ramesh said.
"Then came the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who laid bare his heart and revealed the true meaning of his relationship with the Prime Minister. This was some eight months after the Prime Minister had unveiled a statue of the Sardar in Godhra," he recalled.
"There has been so much written by and on him that it is timely that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF) has just announced its initiative to create a cutting-edge, multimedia digital archive. The archive will be launched on November 14, 2025," Ramesh said in his post on X.
Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal also paid rich tributes to Nehru on the occasion of his birth anniversary, hailing him as the architect of modern India, the visionary that laid the foundation of our republic, and the world leader who was truly admired by every nation across the globe.
"His unique role in our history, of being a crucial part of the freedom struggle and then leading independent India for nearly two decades, makes his contributions truly remarkable especially because of the values he upheld during his time," Venugopal said.
His unflinching commitment to democratic principles, secularism and welfare of the poor and marginalised was the hallmark of his governance and will continue to inspire us for generations to come, he said on X.
The Congress, on its official X handle, said Nehru, envisioned India's destiny and shaped it through his relentless pursuit of freedom, democracy and progress.
"He laid the foundation for a modern and self-reliant India, giving her the wings to reach for the stars," the party said.
"Today, we honour his unmatched & exemplary legacy," it added.
