Reiterating that religion is a personal matter, the Congress on Friday accused the BJP of doing politics over the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, and said the date January 22 was decided keeping in view the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The party said nobody has any right to interfere in each other’s faith.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Congress’ chairman of media and publicity department Pawan Khera said, “There are rules and regulations and set of rituals for the consecration of any temple. Shankaracharyas of the four Peeths have clearly said that an incomplete temple cannot be consecrated. In such a situation, if this programme is not religious, then it is political.”

Attacking the BJP, he said, “Will a political party decide who will visit the temple? Will it decide when I will go to meet my God? Neither a human being can invite anyone to the temple nor stop anyone from going to the temple. We will not tolerate that workers of a political party act as middlemen between me and my God in a political programme.”

“Religion is a personal matter. Nobody has any right to interfere in each other’s faith,” he said.

Khera further said, “Religion and faith are not visible anywhere in this event, only politics is visible. The date 22nd January (for the ceremony) was decided keeping in view the elections (Lok Sabha). This is not a religious event at all, it is a completely political event.”

Without naming anyone, he said, “For the political ‘tamasha’ of a person, how can we allow to play with our aastha (faith).”

He also asserted that the invitation was sent to top party leaders and not the party.

Notably, Congress president Mallikarjun Khargem Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party’s Leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had declined the invitation for the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir calling “it clearly an RSS and BJP event and brought for electoral gain”.

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress social media chairperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Religion is a matter of personal belief. It is completely wrong to do politics in religious programmes. We have refused to go only on 22nd January. We can go anytime.”

She also informed that the leaders of the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit will visit Ayodhya on January 15.