Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 7 (ANI): The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Vinay Kumar on Tuesday announced that the Congress would launch a two-month statewide campaign against the BJP over the alleged donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, saying the issue had hurt the sentiments of people across the country.
Vinay Kumar made the remarks while speaking to ANI after offering prayers at the Ram Mandir and Jakhu Hanuman Temple in Shimla along with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Cabinet ministers and Congress MLAs.
He said the visit to the temples was intended to convey that the Congress has deep faith in Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman.
“We, along with the Chief Minister, Cabinet colleagues and MLAs, offered prayers before Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman to convey that our faith is firmly rooted in them. Whatever has happened regarding the Ram Temple is deeply condemnable. The entire country is hurt. The emotions of ordinary people have been deeply wounded. This is not about the Congress or the BJP; it is about the faith of the people,” Vinay Kumar said.
The HPCC chief said the Congress would take the issue to every part of Himachal Pradesh through a public outreach campaign.
“We will openly campaign across Himachal Pradesh for the next two months. We will reach every corner of the state, go door to door and visit temples to tell people how donations were collected for the Ram Temple and how devotees contributed from their hard-earned savings. People donated money, bricks and even soil with devotion for the construction of the temple,” he said.
Alleging that the BJP had politicised the temple project, Kumar claimed the sequence of events surrounding the temple’s construction and inauguration had been carefully planned.
“The foundation stone was laid, the inauguration was held, and even religious leaders such as the Shankaracharyas were kept away while Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ceremonies. It appears everything was pre-planned because they knew what they intended to do later. They planned how much money would be spent and how much could allegedly be siphoned off,” he alleged.
Questioning the progress of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged theft, Kumar said no findings had been made public so far.
“An SIT has been constituted, but beyond the announcement, nothing has happened. No report has come out yet. Across the country, people feel that the donations they made with faith for the Ram Temple have been looted. It is a deeply unfortunate development,” he said
Kumar reiterated that the Congress would continue raising the issue across Himachal Pradesh, saying the campaign was aimed at highlighting what he described as a betrayal of the faith of devotees. (ANI)
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