'Leader of liars': VHP slams Rahul over his remarks on Ram temple consecration ceremony

New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony and called him a "leader of liars".

This came after a video clip of Gandhi went viral on social media in which he is heard saying, "Amitabh Bachchan, Ambani and Adani were invited" to attend the consecration of the Ram temple but "no poor people, labourers or farmers" were called to attend the event.

"Naach-gana (dancing-singing) was happening there," the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said addressing a poll rally in Haryana's Barwala on Thursday.

That is why the BJP lost the Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat to the Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Singh in the parliamentary elections, the Congress leader said.

Reacting sharply, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain in a statement said, "Rahul Gandhi 'jhoothon ke sardar hain' (Rahul Gandhi is the leader of liars). He doesn't leave any opportunity to insult the country's culture, Hindu dharma and society".

With his remarks, the Congress leader has insulted the 500 years of struggle of the people and those who sacrificed their lives for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he charged.

Rejecting Gandhi's claim, Jain said more than 200 labourers were present at the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

"He (Rahul Gandhi) says there was no dalit present at the event. Kameshwar Choupal, who is a member of Ram temple trust, is a dalit," he said.

Slamming Gandhi for his remarks, VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the Congress leader's "rant" on Ram Mandir is nothing but an "itching that he feels frequently" after a certain gap due to his "anti-Hindu mindset".

"Whenever he realises that the core vision of his party and 'INDI gang' (I.N.D.I.A. bloc of opposition parties) to eliminate Sanatan is not getting accomplished, he attacks Ram Mandir, Hindutva, saints and Sanatan values," Bansal said, adding "he needs to be treated for Hindutvaphobia".