On eve of Ram temple ceremony, BJP targets Opposition leaders

New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) On the eve of consecration of Lord Ram's idol in Ayodhya, the BJP on Sunday targeted a host of opposition leaders for their alleged insult of 'Sanatan Dharma' and demeaning references to the Ram temple.

The BJP posted various past comments of leaders like Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Mamata Banerjee of the TMC, Udhayanidhi Stalin of the DMK and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party and asked people to identify these 'adharmi' (irreligious) people.

The Congress leaders had questioned the existence of Lord Ram, it said and also accused RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav of defaming Ram temple for vote bank.

Before the Ram temple construction, leaders like Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Kejriwal made statements questioning and mocking it. They are now resorting to deception, the BJP claimed in a series of posts on X.

They "hate" Ram, have opposed the Ram temple and insulted Sanatan dharma, the ruling party alleged.

The BJP has long painted its rivals as anti-Hindu, while opposition leaders have accused the ruling party of using religion for political purposes and stoking communal divide.

Though key opposition leaders have been invited to the consecration ceremony, most of them have decided to skip it, a development cited by the BJP as yet another example of their disrespect for Hindus' feelings.

The Congress has accused the ruling dispensation of turning the consecration ceremony into a BJP-RSS event. PTI