PATNA(Bihar): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders came out all guns blazing against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks regarding the Ram Mandir and called him a “repulsive repeat offender” for disrespecting Hindu Dharma.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad condemned Rahul Gandhi’s statements, saying that it is shameful to compare the ‘Prana Pratishtha’ of the Ram temple in Ayodhya to “naach-gaana.”
“Rahul Gandhi always speaks against the Ram Mandir…It is very shameful of him to compare the (Prana pratishtha) of the temple to ‘naach-gaana’,” he said.
BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan also criticised Rahul Gandhi’s remark and said that the Congress leader never wasted an opportunity to demean Hindu Dharma.
“Rahul Gandhi is a repulsive repeat offender when it comes to disrespecting Hindu Dharma. Rahul Gandhi, as we have seen, never wastes an opportunity to demean, denigrate, debase, and insult Hindu Dharma and millions of devotees who follow our Hindu Dharma,” he said.
“There is a history to this. This is not his first statement against Hindu sentiments or Hindu Dharma. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi mocked the Sengol…This is the bigoted mindset of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress,” Kesavan added.
BJP leader Aparna Yadav asked for an apology from Rahul Gandhi over his statement on Ram Mandir.
“The person who has made this statement has not even watched the event. Calling Lord Ram’s event a ‘naach’ is a huge mistake by itself. He should apologise to the nation… PM Modi showered flowers on those who constructed the Ram Temple. There have been three prime ministers from that family (the Gandhi family), did any one of them do anything like this?” she said.
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for his statement, BJP leader Tirath Singh Rawat said that the Congress leader has not yet understood the Indian culture.
“Maybe he has not yet been able to understand the Indian culture. When he can understand the Indian culture, he will understand all of this (these rituals). Common people were involved in that celebration. That day (Pran Pratishtha ceremony) was a day of celebration, and everyone was celebrating it. Everyone was immersed in the devotion of Lord Ram,” he said.
The BJP leader attacked Rahul Gandhi after he criticised the BJP, accussing them of neglecting farmers in the ‘Pran-Pratistha’ event of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
While addressing a rally in Haryana, the LoP on Thursday said, “When the temple in Ayodhya opened, you could see Adani, Ambani, and Amitabh Bachchan, but you could not see one farmer. This is why Awedesh (the Samajwadi Party candidate from Ayodhya) defeated them, he won because the whole of India is seeing.”
“You opened the temple and told the President that since you are a tribal, you can’t come inside, you’re not allowed. After that, they invited Amitabh Bachchan, Adani, and Ambani, but did not allow a labourer. Did you see a worker or a farmer? Naach-gana chal raha hai (there was song and dance), this is your reality,” he added.
The ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Lord Ram was held on January 22, with the main rituals performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The idol of Prabhu Shri Ram Lalla was unveiled after the rituals. (ANI)