"Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha is creating sense of loss, gloom in Congress": Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi [India], December 27 : Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday slammed the Congress after Sam Pitroda raised questions about the Ram Mandir, saying Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha is "creating a sense of loss, gloom and dread in the Indian National Congress."
Sam Pitroda said, "The people of the country have to think if they want to build Hindu Rashtra or if they want to build a truly secular nation with a focus on inclusion, diversity, employment, and development."
"A grand temple of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram in Ayodhya was a long-standing desire of the people of India. While the approaching date of Pran Pratishtha creating waves of divinity, delight and joy across the country, it is creating a sense of loss, gloom and dread in Indian National Congress," Dharmendra Pradhan said in a post on 'X'.
Further, the Union Minister claimed that Sam Pitroda's heartburn over Ram Mandir and the celebrations associated with it are reflective of the Congress Party's chronic allergy to Lord Ram and Hindus.
"Sam Pitroda's heartburn on Ram Mandir and the celebrations associated with it is reflective of Congress Party's chronic allergy to Lord Ram and Hindus. With such people in the inner circle, it's a no-brainer why Congress is totally disconnected with the soul, psyche and mood of Bharat, Pradhan added in the post on 'X'.
Senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda recently raised a question regarding Ram Mandir in an interview with ANI, stating, "Is Ram Mandir the real issue or unemployment and inflation?"
"I have no problem with any religion. It is okay to go visit the temple once in a while, but you can't make that the main platform. 40 per cent of the people vote for BJP, and 60 per cent of the people do not vote for BJP. He is everybody's Prime Minister and not a party's Prime Minister and that's the message the people of India want him to have. Talk about employment, talk about inflation, talk about science and technology and challenges. They (people) have to decide what are the real issues- is Ram Mandir the real issue? Or unemployment is a real issue. Is Ram Mandir the real issue or Inflation is a real issue?" he told ANI.
"Practice your religion but keep religion separate from politics," Pitroda, also the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, emphasised.
Pitroda urged the Congress and the INDIA bloc members to take the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) "seriously" as the 2024 Lok Sabha election will decide the "destiny of the nation" when he was asked about the questions being raised by some opposition parties on the functioning of EVMs.
"I would request my party and the alliance members to take this matter very seriously. It is not a simple issue. Don't overlook it because the 2024 election will decide the destiny of the nation. It will decide the path that India going to take in the future. I see that democracy is undermined today. A PM of a country does not hold a press conference for 10 years, that bothers me. Prime Minister giving more time in the temple, that bothers me," he added.
Speaking on the PM face of the INDIA bloc, the senior Congress leader said that the election should be fought on an idea, not on any face or personality.
"The election should be fought on an idea. Who will safeguard the Constitution? Who will enhance your democracy? Who will provide jobs, care for your health, and infrastructure? This is not a presidential election. It is a Parliamentary election. So you don't have to have a face but have an idea. The idea is we want democracy, we want inclusion, diversity. These are the issues. It's not Modi vs somebody. INDIA alliance have many qualified people. Some are visible, some are not," Pitroda said.
Praising Rahul Gandhi, he said that the Congress leader is an intelligent man and qualified to lead.
"When abroad we don't criticise India, we criticise Indian government. Don't create confusion between these two different things. India is important to the world. We have all the right to discuss about our country on a global platform," said Pitroda who accompanied Rahul Gandhi during his US trip.
CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury recently received a formal invite from the chairman of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Construction Committee, Nripendra Misra, for the consecration ceremony.
The Trust has also invited former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to the event.
The attendance of senior Congress leaders has not yet been confirmed by the party.
The ceremony scheduled for January 22 will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple. It is expected to be attended by hundreds of officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trust has also invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony.
The trust has decided to enthrone the idol of Lord Ram at the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January 22. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony on the day.