Ram temple event 'designed' to benefit BJP's political interests, says Shashi Tharoor

Calling the January 22 ceremony in Ayodhya a political event, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday (January 13) that he will visit the Ram temple when it is completed.

“Our party has many members who believe in many faiths and they are welcome to practice them,” he told the media in Thiruvananthapuram, adding that the upcoming event was “political” as the temple work was not finished yet.

Political interests

The timing of this ('Pran Pratishtha' ceremony) appears to be designed to benefit the political interests of the ruling party (BJP). Therefore, if we participate, then it will become a political choice, not just a personal one and people need to understand this,” the MP said.

Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have turned down the invitation to the grand Ram temple opening on January 22, calling it a “BJP-RSS” event. The BJP has dubbed them “anti-Hindu”.

‘I will go later’

Tharoor added: “Let the Lok Sabha elections conclude and let the temple be fully constructed. I will go. I will visit Kashi Vishwanath as well. There is nothing wrong in going there to pray as a believer.”

Tharoor said there was nothing wrong with Hindus celebrating the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“However, the Congress party had decided not to participate as our presence at the venue would send out a different message,” he said.

Swami Vivekananda

Earlier, in a post on X, Tharoor referred to a speech by Sonia Gandhi in 1999 at the Ramakrishna Mission, emphasising how Hindu liberal thoughts contributed to India’s secular identity.

The MP said that the teachings of Swami Vivekananda carry a highly relevant and impactful message for the present day.

Tharoor underlined that the Congress' association with Hindu liberalism was not a recent response to events over the past decade but rather a longstanding and deeply held conviction.