HYDERABAD : As devotees celebrated the consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by distributing sweets and food, and taking out Sobha Yatras, several Telangana state Congress leaders, including MLAs and ministers, on Monday refused to waste the opportunity to connect with the people.
While the grand old party decided to stay away from the Ayodhya event, the state Congress leaders offered special prayers at Ram temples across the state in a symbolic gesture. These temple visits were aimed at underscoring the party’s stance that its absence from the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration was rooted in the belief that the event had been politicized.
Expressing his displeasure over the way the Ayodhya event was conducted, Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar criticized the BJP for “politicisation of the Ram Mandir.”
Prabhakar emphasized his personal commitment to religious practices and wanted to know if adherence to specific political narratives should define one’s identity as a Hindu.
“By birth, I am a Hindu... I have devotion, fear, and attention to God. Am I not a Hindu if I do not follow what you say...? Don’t do politics with pictures of God,” he posted on X platform.
He went on to challenge the BJP to explain the concrete measures initiated for the welfare of the people of Telangana in the past 10 years.
Sudarshan Narasimha Yagam in Mancherial
Congress MLA Kokkirala Premsagar Rao took a different approach by organizing a religious event titled “Ganda Bherunda Sudarshan Narasimha Yagam and Maha Purnaahuti” in Mancherial Assembly constituency. Rao garnered support from hundreds of devotees who attended the ceremony.
Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao offered prayers at the Sree Seetha Ramachandraswamy temple in Bhadracham.