A scuffle broke out between workers of the Congress and devotees who arrived at the under-construction Ram Mandir in Ayodhya ahead of the mega-consecration ceremony. According to initial inputs, a clash ensued between Congress workers and devotees at the entry gate of Ram Mandir.
The altercation took place after Congress workers waved the party’s flags outside temple premises, which provoked the devotees. Some of the devotees even snatched the Congress flag and tore it while the workers were making their way into the sacred site.
In the viral video, devotees can be heard chanting “Jai Shree Ram” slogans during the altercation.
Reacting to the incident, Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande alleged that some people wanted to create disturbance by connecting religion with politics.
“We condemn that some people wanted to create disturbance by connecting religion with politics. They may have been some mindless people who wanted to do it. We just came to offer prayers, there were no directions from the Congress party on this,” Pande said while speaking to news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders, including Deepender Hooda, Avinash Pande, Supriya Shrinate and Ajay Rai arrived in Ayodhya on Monday to take darshan of Ram Lalla and also take a holy dip in the Saryu river.
The leaders also offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi Temple in the holy city of Ayodhya.
“If situations of unemployment, injustice, inflation, and economic disparity persist in the country, the dream of Lord Ram is incomplete. I pray that Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra takes inspiration from Lord Ram and delivers justice. Generations of my family have been visiting Ayodhya, and all my future generations will visit too. To talk about justice is Ram Rajya,” Supriya Shrinate told ANI.
Congress has been at the centre of attacks after its leadership decided to “respectfully decline” the invitation to attend the Ram Mandir consecration event in Ayodhya on January 22.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party president Sonia Gandhi and leader of the party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had turned down the invitation to attend the event.
The grand old party has accused the BJP of making it into a “political project” for electoral gains, asserting that religion is a “personal matter”.