Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Credit: DH File Photo
Taking everyone by surprise and adopting a ‘soft stand’ on the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that he too was ‘Ramanjaneya’ Bhakta (devotee of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman) and never opposed to the construction of Ram Mandir.
After taking part in the Bangalore Press Club’s annual New Year award ceremony here, Siddarmaiah said, “We are not opposed to building Ram Mandir. We are not opposed to Ayodhya. In fact, we are in favour of it.”
He added that he had built a Rama temple in his hometown. “We are never opposed to Lord Rama. I am Ramanjanenya Bhakta. I have taken part in many sankeerthanas and bhajans (devotional songs) whenever I was free in my hometown. Certainly, we are in favour of Lord Rama,” he added.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking all the credit for building Rama Mandir at Ayodhya, the chief minister responded cryptically, stating “that is a different question.”
“I am happy for both that they are inaugurating the temple and organised a big inauguration ceremony for it,” he said, when it appeared that he did not want to get drawn into the ongoing controversy on inauguration of Lord Rama temple in Ayodhya.
However, the Opposition BJP continued to launch broadside at the Congress over the Lord Rama and temple in Ayodhya with the BJP senior leader, C T Ravi asserting that the BJP never indulged in politicking over Lord Rama or building temple in Ayodhya.
“Since the beginning, it is Congress that indulged in politicking over this issue. It was Congress leaders who called Lord Rama a mythical character or imaginary figure, instead of accepting him as a revered god of the people of this country. The then Congress leader Kapil Sibal fought case after case in courts to delay the construction of Lord Rama temple. In this process, BJP was busy fighting to protect the people’s interests, while Congress indulged in politicking on this issue,” he said, after the telecast of Mann Ki Baat programme at Yeshwantpur in the city.
‘Stop politicising issue’
Appealing to the Congress, he said that the Congress, at least now, should stop politicising the issue of Rama or Ayodhya.