New Delhi: The “real” reason why the Congress declined the invitation to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir on 22 January is that the party feared its leader Rahul Gandhi would end up losing his “safe” constituency Wayanad, which is dominated by Muslims, claimed former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj, in an exclusive interview with ThePrint Friday.
Punj, who has authored a book Tryst with Ayodhya: Decolonisation of India, launched Saturday, has also claimed that the demolition of the Babri Masjid structure on 6 December, 1992, was a “Gandhian” solution to the centuries-old Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
In his book, Punj highlights how the Hindu deity Ram and Bharat are intertwined in several ways. He further claims in the book that for the Hindus, the ‘Babri structure’ was never a mosque.
Punj in his book has also blamed Jawaharlal Nehru for the delay in the resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi issue. In conversation with ThePrint, he alleged that not only was Nehru opposed to the Ram temple, for which he claims there’s enough evidence, “but he hated temples as such”.
On the Congress declining the invitation to attend the pran pratistha ceremony in Ayodhya and terming it a political project of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Punj said: “In fact, I will tell you the real reason. They couldn’t find a safe constituency for Rahul Gandhi in north or west or central India. They had to settle in Kerala, Wayanad”.
“Wayanad constituency is a constituency where more than 55 percent of the electorate is non-Hindu. I won’t say anti-Hindu…non-Hindu. Hindus are about 40-41 percent. Now, the choice for Congress is that if you go for pran pratistha to Ayodhya, then you may lose both ‘pran’ and ‘pratistha’ in Wayanad. So basically, they had to choose between Ram and Rahul. And their choice was obviously Rahul,” he added.
Punj alleged this to be one of the main reasons behind Congress turning down the invitation to attend the ceremony.
“If that constituency doesn’t remain safe for Rahul where will they field him? And if they field him from Wayanad and the Congress is also associated with Ram Janmabhoomi and the temple, then if the Left decides to put up a Muslim candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, there’s a good chance he will lose. So there are no high principles involved,” he claimed.
The former Rajya Sabha MP also questioned former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma being targeted for her controversial comments on Prophet Mohammad in 2022.
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Congress’ dilemma
Commenting on the Congress’s dilemma regarding attending the Ayodhya ceremony, Punj said “Congress has always been in a dilemma”.
“It is not only confined to Nehru. You move to 1989. Congress even today claims credit for the opening of the Ramjanbhoomi lock in 1986. What happened to the principle that religion is a matter of personal choice?” said Punj.
He went on to say that in 1989 when Rajiv Gandhi was to launch his election campaign for the next Parliament Lok Sabha elections, he launched it from Ayodhya.
“And he (Rajiv Gandhi) launched it from Ayodhya promising Ram Rajya. So Congress speaks in two languages. And Congress has been heading a government for more than 50 years which decided to subsidise Haj pilgrimage. They were busy hosting Ifftar parties while wearing skull caps. So you can do all that, but when it comes to going to Ayodhya, you think of all these things,” Punj questioned.
When asked about Opposition claims that the Ram Temple consecration was turning into a “BJP, VHP [Vishva Hindu Parishad], RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]” show, Punj said: “And the best way to prevent this show from becoming a BJP, VHP, RSS show was by ensuring (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji, Sonia (Gandhi) ji, Rahul Gandhi went there. If 10 other Congressmen would have asked that we also want to be present there, it would not be a BJP, VHP show at all.”
“It is only the absence and boycott which reduces this entire function. It should have been a national function,” he added.
Nupur Sharma row
Punj also questioned the way former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was targeted by a section of society for saying something “Muslim clerics say all the time”.
Sharma was accused of making controversial comments against Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate in May 2022, sparking outrage across the country.
“Nehru said when ‘I go to Hindu temples I feel oppressed. Depression takes over me. I feel low’. He also says ‘I don’t know the reason. But I do feel low and oppressed. I feel down’. What is that? This is a statement of hate. If tomorrow any BJP leader were to say that this is what I feel, if I have to quote Nehru’s words that this is what I feel when I look at a Church, you guys would be pulling that man on a course,” Punj said.
Punj added: “What did Nupur Sharma say? What was her statement? What is her status? She is a low functionary of the BJP and she only repeated in a few seconds, she’s not the Prime Minister, she’s not an MP or MLA, she just said something Muslim clerics say all the time.”
According to him, Sharma had no official position (in the government). “It was a position in the party. And the entire lynch mob, rationalised this (her being targetted) and she still is in hiding. And you make such a statement as the Prime Minister of the country for Hindu temples (referring to Nehru),” he added.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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