THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Congress leadership in Kerala heaved a sigh of relief when the party high command announced its decision not to attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya. With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the national leadership’s decision has given a new lease of life to the Congress’ poll prospects in the state.
Dismissing suggestions that the decision came a tad bit late, senior leader K Muralidharan said, “A major secular party like Congress cannot take a hasty decision. There will be different opinions in the party. The leadership has to take into consideration all the different opinions within the party, and and also those of front partners in the INDIA block,” he told TNIE.
When pointed out that the CPM had not wasted any time to reject the invite, the former KPCC president said the CPM is a party that practises materialism. “They usually do not participate in temple ceremonies. Besides, this is not an ordinary temple. It’s built upon the residue of another place of worship. The spiritual essence of Sree Rama is present everywhere. It is not contained at a particular place at Ayodhya,” he said.
Welcoming the decision, former KPCC president V M Sudheeran said it will help strengthening the secular values nurtured by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
However, the jubilation in the Congress camp was somewhat short-lived, with the influential NSS criticising the stand. Without naming anyone, the NSS asserted that any political party opposing the “sacred ceremony” does so solely for their “selfish political motives”. Congress leaders are aware that NSS stand can mar the party’s poll fortunes.
Sources in Congress say the Supreme Court verdict on the Bilkis Bano case has played a decisive role in the party taking a secular position on Ram temple issue. “There were only two options for Congress -- either take a soft-Hindutva stand or go back to its secular credentials. With the Bilkis Bano verdict, the party sensed a chance of winning back secular votes, and arrived at the decision,” a source said.
NSS flays move to boycott Ram Mandir ceremony
Kottayam: Hours after the national leadership of the Congress decided to decline the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, the influential Nair Service Society (NSS) subtly voiced its criticism. In a press note issued on Wednesday, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair asserted that any political or other organisation opposing the sacred ceremony does so solely for their selfish political motives.