Priests perform rituals before a 300-foot 'diya', which will be lit ahead of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Even as Congress's decision to keep off from Ayodhya Ram temple consecration have helped the party Kerala unit in resisting CPM's attempts to eat into its Muslim vote banks, the stand by prominent Hindu outfits could still pose a cause for concern especially since the BJP is making all out efforts to tap the Hindu vote banks.
As soon as the Congress national leadership announced the decision to keep off from the Ram temple consecration, the Nair Service Society (NSS) that represents the Hindu Nair community flayed the decision.
The BJP Kerala unit also swiftly welcomed the NSS's stand. Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) that represents the Hindu - Ezhava community also openly backed the Ram temple consecration ceremony.
The Congress leadership in Kerala was caught up in a tight spot over the Ram temple consecration as earlier there were reports that the national leadership may attend the event.
The CPM, which is the key political opponent of the Congress in Kerala, was making use of the opportunity to woo the Muslim vote banks especially since their national leadership had outrightly rejected the invitation to the January 22 consecration ceremony. Already the CPM had made inroads in the Muslim vote banks during the previous elections.
Hence the Congress national leadership's decision to keep off from the consecration is a big relief for the party in Kerala.
Congress is now trying to counter the criticisms against the party from Hindu outfits as well the BJP by reiterating the national leaderships stand that the Ram temple consecration on January 22 is a political programme of the BJP.
Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the Congress was not imposing its decision on any one. Ram is now with the BJP. Ram is at Birla Mandir where Mahatma Gandhi died by chanting 'Hey Ram', he said.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which is the second largest party in the Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala, welcomed Congress's stand on Ram temple consecration.