New Delhi: The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Tuesday took a swipe at CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury after he declined an invite to the January 22 consecration ceremony at Ram temple in Ayodhya and said it would be in his interest if he “returns to Ram, Ramatva and Bharat”.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) reaction came after the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said Yechury has turned down an invitation to attend the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain.
Our policy is to respect religious beliefs and the right of each individual to pursue their belief. Religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Comrade Sitaram Yechury will not attend the ceremony despite receiving an invitation to do so,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a post on X.
Reacting to it, VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal wrote on X, “There are reports that the one whose name is Sitaram will not go to Ayodhya Dham”.
“Political opposition is understandable, but if someone has so much hatred for his own name, he can only be a communist,” he added.
Yechury’s party’s commitment might be something else, but it is not clear whether the CPI-M general secretary’s opposition is to Lord Ram or his own name, Bansal said in a video statement, adding, “A clarification is required on this”.
“… The country is returning to Ram and Ramatva’, for how long will you oppose them,” the VHP leader said and asked Yechury to “come back and join Ram, Ramatva and this Bharat”.
“This is in your best interest now. Otherwise, people know how to respond,” Bansal added.
The VHP has spearheaded the Ayodhya Ram temple movement since the early 1980s.
CPI rejects inauguration invite
In a statement, the politburo of the Left party said Yechury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“The CPI(M) policy has been to respect religious beliefs and safeguarding the right of every individual to pursue their belief. It believes that religion is a personal choice not to be converted into an instrument for political gain. Therefore, we will not be attending the ceremony,” the party said.
It added that it is “most unfortunate” that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have converted a religious ceremony into a State-sponsored event directly involving the prime minister, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and other government functionaries.
“A fundamental principle of governance in India as reiterated by the Supreme Court is that the State in India, under the Constitution, should have no religious affiliation. This is being violated by the ruling regime in the organisation of the event,” the CPI(M) said.
The Ram temple will be inaugurated on January 22, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and more than 6,000 people expected to attend the grand “Pran Pratistha” ceremony.
