Congress says it respects Ayodhya verdict, supports building of Ram temple

Congress comes out with statement after ‘carefully’ wording its response at CWC meet chaired by Sonia Gandhi.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala | Photo: Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: The Congress party Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya, with chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala saying the party supports the building of the Ram temple.

“The Supreme Court has delivered its judgment. As such, we support the building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya,” Surjewala told the media Saturday.

“We ask everyone to respect the SC verdict,” he added.

Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi had decided to reschedule a crucial Congress Working Committee meeting earlier scheduled for Sunday to early Saturday morning so that the party could take a clear stand on the issue. The CWC is the party’s top decision-making body.

“The Indian National Congress respects the verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya case,” read a statement issued by the party. “We appeal to all the parties concerned and to all communities to abide by the secular values and spirit of fraternity enshrined in our Constitution and to maintain peace and harmony.”

It added, “It is the responsibility of each one of us to reaffirm our tradition of mutual respect and unity among all that has defined our society through the ages.”

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Supreme Court has given its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. We should respect the verdict and maintain harmony. It’s a time for friendship, trust and love between Indians.”

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने अयोध्या मुद्दे पर अपना फैसला सुना दिया है। कोर्ट के इस फैसले का सम्मान करते हुए हम सब को आपसी सद्भाव बनाए रखना है। ये वक्त हम सभी भारतीयों के बीच बन्धुत्व,विश्वास और प्रेम का है।

#AyodhyaVerdict

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 9, 2019

‘Ram should not be used to play politics’

Asked if this could be seen as a victory for the BJP, Surjewala said Ram can and should not be used to play politics.

“Ram is love, he is sacrifice,” he said. “Those playing politics in his name cannot do so anymore.”

A senior Congress leader, who attended the CWC meeting, told ThePrint that their response was carefully worded after a detailed discussion at the meeting.

“The matter is done and dusted now,” said the leader, who did not wish to be named. “We just wanted to ensure that we get the wording of our response exactly right.”

A second Congress leader present at the CWC meeting said, “We debated at length on how to react to the verdict and decided to choose our words very carefully. For example, we chose to use the word ‘respect’ and not ‘welcome’ because that would make us party to the issue.”