Congress unit in Kerala disregarding Hindu sentiments: State BJP chief K Surendran

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7 (PTI) BJP's Kerala chief K Surendran on Sunday levelled hard-hitting accusations against the Congress' state unit of disregarding Hindu sentiments by not planning any celebrations in connection with the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Surendran claimed that Congress party units in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and even Karnataka were gearing up to celebrate the consecration ceremony and questioned why the same was being avoided by the Kerala unit of the grand old party.

"Why is the Congress party in Kerala taking a different stand? Does the Congress in Kerala have no obligation towards the beliefs of the Hindus? Is the Congress in Kerala disregarding the sentiments of the Hindus? "Are they (Congress) afraid of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) or the PFI? Have the Samastha or other religious organisations restrained them (Congress) from celebrating the occasion?" were the plethora of questions raised by the BJP state chief while speaking to reporters here.

Surendran said that the IUML had clearly said it was not against anyone celebrating the consecration ceremony and demanded an answer to his queries from AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, who hails from Kerala, as well as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudharakaran and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan.

"Why these double standards? Why such hypocrisy on the part of the Congress leadership?" Surendran also asked.

He said that the BJP would be participating in the celebrations held on the occasion in Kerala and, as part of the same, would also be carrying out cleanliness activities at all temples in the state.

The Supreme Court had in a historic verdict in 2019 backed the construction of the Ram temple by a government trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town.

As a result, Ayodhya is getting decked up for the 'pran pratishtha' at the grand Ram temple being built in the holy city which will take place on January 22 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ram temple complex, built in the traditional Nagara style, will be 380 feet in length (east-west direction), 250 feet in width and 161 feet in height.

Each floor of the temple will be 20 feet high and have a total of 392 pillars and 44 gates. PTI