Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Rambhakti of Congress leaders was visible in Ayodhya on Monday. Many leaders like MP Deepender Hooda, UP Congress President Ajay Rai, party spokesperson Supriya Srinet, UP in-charge Avinash Pandey reached Ayodhya, slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Jai Siyaram’, ‘Siyavar Ramchandra ki Jai’ were echoed. Although this is not a big deal, anyone can raise slogans of Lord Ram, anyone can take a dip in Saryu and have darshan of Ram Lalla, but it is a big deal for Congress leaders to go to Ayodhya and take a dip in Saryu and raise slogans of Jai Shri Ram. The matter is because Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Choudhary have refused to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla on January 22 and have rejected the invitation of Ram Janbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. But on Monday, on Makar Sankranti, all the Congress leaders reached Ayodhya and took a dip in Saryu, atoned for their sins, had darshan of Bajrangbali, then attended Ram’s court, after which they said that we are old Ram devotees, BJP people are 22. On January, they are committing sin in the name of Pran Pratistha, installing the idol of Ramlala in the incomplete temple. Congress leaders said that why would the Congress leaders go to the program which Shankaracharya is calling anti-Sanatan, and in which Shankaracharya is not coming? In Kohima on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the January 22 program as political and said that Congress will not go to this political program because BJP-RSS is organizing this program for electoral gains. Rahul Gandhi said, “I do not want to take advantage of religion, I am not interested in it, I do not need to wear religion as a shirt, only the one who really has a public relationship with religion takes advantage of it.” But what were the UP Congress leaders doing in Ayodhya on Monday? All these leaders along with dozens of workers reached the banks of Saryu, raised slogans of Jai Shri Ram and took a dip. In the bitter cold, all the leaders stood in the water and offered prayers. These leaders reached Hanuman Garhi by applying Tripund on their forehead and worshiped Ram Lala. Ajay Rai said, the statue of Ram Lalla that is there now is already consecrated, so only BJP people can tell what is going to happen on January 22. After bathing and meditation, Congress leaders had darshan of Bajrang Bali at Hanuman Garhi. After this all the leaders came to see Ramlala. Met Ramlala’s chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das, took his blessings and prasad. Since Congress workers had reached Ayodhya carrying the party flag, Ram devotees opposed it. Some people snatched the Congress flag from the hands of the workers and tore it, but the police intervened and brought the situation under control.
There was loud sloganeering from both sides. Both the sides stood face to face and kept shouting slogans. Congress leaders tried to meet Mahant Raju Das of Hanuman Garhi but even after waiting for a long time, Mahant Raju Das did not meet them. Later Mahant Raju Das said that he has no doubt on the personal faith of Congress leaders in Lord Ram but he has objection to the dual policy of Congress. Mahant Raju Das said that on one hand, Congress denies the existence of Lord Ram, rejects the invitation for consecration and then also sends its leaders for the darshan of Ramlala, this double character will not work in the abode of Lord Ram. There was less devotion and more politics in the Ayodhya visit of Congress leaders. Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary may not understand what effect the name of Ram has on the general public, what will be the effect of the boycott of the Pran Pratistha ceremony, but the leaders of UP Congress know very well the power of the name of Ram, the glory of Ayodhya. That’s why Ajay Rai was seen chanting praises of Lord Ram and taking a dip in Saryu. But since the high command has decided to stay away from the consecration ceremony, they cannot oppose that decision, it is their compulsion. Therefore, he did his work in the name of Ram. This is not the condition of Congress only. Most of the parties involved in the anti-Modi front have distanced themselves from the January 22 programme. But these parties are confused. They don’t know whether they did right or wrong, so now all the parties are busy portraying themselves as bigger devotees of Ram than others.
On Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party organized the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa and Sundar Kand in Delhi. But Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh announced that whether anyone goes or not, he will definitely go to Ayodhya and see Ram Lalla. This googly of Harbhajan will put Kejriwal in trouble. Harbhajan has made the announcement but now after this the discussion has started in the political circles that Harbhajan Singh can do something big in the next two months. Maybe his ball will turn, he will reach Ayodhya with lotus flower in his hand before the Lok Sabha elections. But these are all speculations. The reality is that every Hindu living in the world is happy with the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. This is not a political programme. After five hundred years, Ramlala is again sitting in the grand temple. Therefore, everyone should rise above party politics and participate in this happiness with devotion. Since sages, saints, Shankaracharyas, Dharmacharyas have blessed the inauguration of the Ram temple and the Pran Pratistha ceremony, big scholars have determined the auspicious time for the Pran Pratistha, hence what the leaders of which party say on this matter, it does not matter to the Ram devotees.
At present, only crowds of Ram devotees are visible everywhere in Ayodhya. People are bringing different types of gifts for Lord Ram. Everyone is waiting for 22nd January. Shri Ram Janmabhoomit Teerth Kshetra Trust also announced that preparations for the consecration ceremony have been completed. Champat Rai told that people of about 150 sects have been invited to this program, the auspicious time for Pran Pratishtha has been decided by Acharya Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid of Kashi and the entire process of rituals will be done by Acharya Laxmikant Dixit of Varanasi. The idol of Ramlala will be entered into the sanctum sanctorum on January 18. Rituals will be held with Vedic traditions till January 21 and on January 22, Pran Pratishtha will begin at 12.20 pm. The Muhurta is of 84 seconds and it will take about one and a quarter hour to complete the program. Nowadays, Ram devotees from all over the world are excited to come to Ayodhya, there is no difference of religion in this. Muslim brothers from all over the country are also sending prasad, clothes and jewelery for Ramlala.
I think Congress and other anti-Modi parties have made a mistake by deciding not to attend the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla. Especially Congress, which has 52 seats, has lost a big opportunity. Congress should have understood that crores of people of the country are excited about the construction of Ramlala’s temple. There are also a large number of Congress supporters and voters among them. These are all the people who waited 500 years to install Ramlala in the grand Ram temple. Now that that moment is about to come, how people’s emotions are attached to this temple is visible in the entire country. There is no point in these things that the temple has not been completed, why Shankaracharya is not going, why Modi is the host in this. Everyone knows these are useless things. Everyone knows that all this is being done in protest against Modi. Some are saying that they will go first, some are saying that they will go later, their own leaders are asking that they have to go, then what is the problem on 22nd? Why not go at the auspicious time? Why not watch history being made? Now it should not happen that when we watch the Pran Pratishtha program on TV and see the enthusiasm of the people of the country, we feel that the opportunity was right in front of us, but we lost it. And such opportunities do not come again and again. (Rajat Sharma)
Watch: ‘Aaj Ki Baat, Rajat Sharma Sath’ full episode of 15 January 2024
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