Ram Temple inauguration a poll gimmick: Mamata Banerjee

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is indulging in a “gimmick show” through the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.

Addressing a public programme at Joynagar in South 24 Parganas district, Banerjee, who is also the chief of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), said “she does not support festivities that exclude other communities”.

Her remarks came ahead of the much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya town on January 22.

“Yesterday I was asked to comment on Ram Mandir in Ayodhya as if I have nothing else to do. I said that religion belongs to individuals but festivals are for all. I believe only in those festivities that unite people,” she said.

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“The BJP is doing it (Ram Temple inauguration) under court’s instruction but it is a gimmick show before the Lok Sabha polls... I don’t believe in dividing people on religious lines,” she added.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which is overseeing the construction of the temple, has sent invitations to 7,000 people, including 3,000 VVIPs, for the consecration ceremony that will be held over a span of seven days, starting January 16.

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Taking note of the chief minister’s remarks, state BJP chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya accused her of indulging in appeasement politics.

“Mamata Banerjee has taken a position against Ram, the Bhagavad Gita and India’s cultural heritage to send a signal to a specific section of the society, so that these people unite against the BJP. This is her partisan politics. But since Ram does not belong to any party, we urge her to light a lamp at her home during the inauguration of the temple.”