The PM’s Dissection of Congress Matters Ram Temple, Unity Statue, Riots of 1984

The PM’s dissection of Congress matters: Ram Temple, Unity Statue, and the and the Riots of 1984. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated today that BJP veteran Kalyan Singh, who was Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992, “dedicated his life and government” to the cause of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Prime Minister spoke at a BJP rally in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, in favor of party candidate Jitin Prasada. “Our Kalyan Singh ji dedicated his life and government to the Ram Temple,” the PM said. Every household in the nation made a contribution (to the temple). However, the INDI alliance has always detested the Ram temple’s construction,” he stated.

What was Kalyan Singh’s identity?

Before his death in 2021, Mr. Singh held the positions of Governor of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. He was also the Chief Minister in Ayodhya when Hindu activists destroyed the Babri Masjid, which dates back to the 16th century. He left his position as Chief Minister a few hours after the demolition. On the same day, the state government was dismissed by the PV Narasimha Rao administration, which also imposed President’s Rule.

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The government of Mr. Singh dropped the charges against the defendants in the Babri case during his second term as Chief Minister.

He repeatedly defected from the BJP and, at one point, joined the Samajwadi Party, which is led by Mulayam Singh Yadav. He became a permanent member of the BJP again in 2014 and went on to become governor of two states. In 2020, a CBI special court cleared Mr. Singh and other prominent BJP leaders, including the late Lal Krishna Advani, in the Babri Masjid demolition case. The demolition was “not pre-planned,” the court ruled later.

The Charge at the Temple

The Prime Minister accused the Congress of leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Ram Temple was not built in Ayodha. “But when people donated every penny they could and a grand temple was constructed, the temple’s authorities forgave you (Congress) and invited you for the consecration ceremony. But you rejected the invitation and insulted Lord Ram. The leaders who attended the ceremony were expelled for six years,” he said.

The BJP is banking on the Ram Temple construction to reap dividends in these Lok Sabha polls, especially in the politically-significant state of Uttar Pradesh. This time, the party has dropped its sitting Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi, who raised eyebrows for his remarks criticising the government, and has chosen Mr Prasada, who switched from the Congress in 2021.

A Statue Of Unity Jab

Targeting the Opposition from the Pilibhit stage, the Prime Minister said the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties “do not hesitate to insult great personalities of the country”. “No prominent leader of the Congress or Samajwadi Party has visited the Statue of Unity. They travel abroad, but do not visit the statue of Sardar (Vallabhbhai Patel),” he said.

The Statue of Unity, an 182-metre statue of the country’s first Home Minister, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2018 near Gujarat’s Kevadia.

Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party for joining hands with the Congress, the Prime Minister also brought up the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of the assassination of Indira Gandhi. “No one can forget what the Congress did to our Sikh brothers in 1984. The Samajwadi Party is now supporting that Congress. The BJP is firmly with Sikhs.”

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