Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress will overturn Ram temple verdict if voted to power, says PM Modi

In a bid to channel more attention to the Ram temple ahead of the remaining four phases of the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Tuesday that the Congress will reverse the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram temple if it is voted to power.

Modi said a senior Congress leader, who quit the party recently, revealed that "shehzada" (a reference to Rahul Gandhi) called a meeting of select people after the 2019 SC verdict in the Ram temple case and said if his party came back to power, the apex court decision would be overturned just like his father (then-PM Rajiv Gandhi) did in the Shah Bano matter.

Modi made the statement as he addressed two back-to-back election rallies in Ahmednagar and Beed districts of Maharashtra. 

In 1985, the SC had ruled in favour of Shah Bano, a Muslim woman from Indore who had sought maintenance from her husband after divorce, but the then-Rajiv Gandhi government overturned the judgment through an Act.

Modi also accused the Congress and its allies in the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc of "insulting" Lord Ram and his devotees.

Modi's statement comes amid allegations by opposition parties that the ruling camp is trying to polarise voters after being rattled by the poor voter turnout in the initial phases of the poll.

Touching upon the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he accused the Congress of giving clean chit to terrorists 

Though the PM did not name any leader, he seemed to be referring to two senior Congress leaders — Vijay Wadettiwar, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, and Thiruvananthapuram MP Dr Shashi Tharoor. Wadettiwar triggered a controversy when he said that Pakistan terrorist Ajmal Kasab did not kill the then-Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare during the 26/11 attacks. Tharoor had spoken in support of Wadettiwar. 

The Congress "has some connection with the ten terrorists who entered Mumbai in November 2008" and created mayhem, Modi alleged. "People are asking the Congress, yeh rishta kya kehlata hai (what is this relation called)"

According to Modi, a “B-team” of the Congress is becoming active “across the border". 

"No trick of the I.N.D.I.A group is working in front of the people. They are even crossing the limits of hopelessness. The situation is indicating desperation. The 'A-team' here is losing, so the 'B-team' of Congress is becoming active across the border. To boost the morale of the Congress, tweets are being made from across the border. In return, the Congress party is giving clean chits to terrorists,” he said. 

Reiterating his earlier allegation that the Congress planned to give reservations to Muslims, Modi said this election is happening between "santushtikaran (satisfaction) and tushtikaran (appeasement)". 

"Now the I.N.D.I.A. parties say that they will snatch away the entire reservation from the SC/ST/OBC and give it to Muslims. The Constitution opposes reservation based on religion. Now they want to change the Constitution. So that they can make their special vote bank happy,” said Modi.