"They've already declared Lord Ram as an imaginary figure": Acharya Satyendra Das on Congress's rejection of Ram Mandir invitation

Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 10 : The Chief Priest of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple Acharya Satyenra Das took a dig at the Congress party on Wednesday for having turned down the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ayodhya's Ram Temple.
Das said that they have already declared Lord Ram an "imaginary figure".
"They have already declared Lord Ram an imaginary figure. So, if they come here, people will question this and they will have to face embarrassment. So, on the pretence of 'politics', they have turned down the invitation, " said Acharya Das.
Earlier today, Congress turned down the invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony, calling it a 'BJP/RSS event".
The senior Congress leaders--Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury--have 'declined' the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya, the party's general secretary, Jairam Ramesh, said in a statement.
"Last month, the Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on January 22nd, 2024," he said in the statement.
"Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has obviously been brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgement and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, and Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS/BJP event," it added.
Meanwhile, Acharya Satyendra Das also spoke on Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya's remarks on 'Kar Sevaks'.
"The party should answer why it ordered the officials to open fire at the Kar Sevaks back in the 1990s. Now, its leader is trying to justify why it happened. Whatever happened then is indeed condemnable. The party will be known as a 'murderer' until it exists," Das said.
Earlier today, SP leader Maurya said, "To safeguard the constitution and the law and to protect peace, the then government gave shoot-at-sight orders. The government merely did its duty."
Maurya's remarks have triggered sharp reactions from BJP leaders.
BJP Spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "It is indeed condemnable and shocking to note that for the sake of vote bank politics, some of the Samajwadi Party leaders are giving indications that the 'Kar Sevaks' were shot way back in the 1990s, and that too at a time when the country is enthusiastic and looking forward to the 'Pran Pratishtha' of the maginificent Temple in Ayodhya, when the Prime Minister will be there, and lakhs and crores of people want to be there and crores of people across the world are excited about this."
Meanwhile, the country is gearing up for the grand 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla at the grand temple on January 22. As per temple officials, the ceremony will be held over a span of seven days starting on January 16.
Preparations are underway in full swing for the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratishtha' on January 22, which will draw dignitaries and people from all walks of life. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has decided to enthrone Ram Lalla at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Ram Temple at noon on January 22. Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, a week before the main ceremony.A priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit Mahotsav.
Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, holds great spiritual, historical, and cultural significance for the people of India.