Bhopal, Sep 28 (IANS): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday criticised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his remarks about the January 22 Ram Mandir inauguration ceremony in Ayodhya, which the Congress leader apparently compared to a "celebrity event" as common persons were not present during the programme.
The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's reaction came after Rahul Gandhi, while addressing an election rally in Haryana, hit out at the BJP, seeking an explanation on why common people were not invited in the occasion of the Ram Mandir inauguration. Hitting back at the Congress MP, the Madhya Pradesh CM questioned "did Rahul Gandhi ever visit Ram Mandir?"
During his speech, Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for "turning Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony into a celebrity event".
"You know why they (BJP) lost in Ayodhya? They opened a mandir in Ayodhya. You saw many well-known personalities but not a single poor farmer was there. This is the reason why they lost," Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress leader further remarked: "Did you see any labourers or farmers? No. It was all dance and song, with the media cheering. This is the reality."
Responding to Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Mohan Yadav said the Congress always stood with those who opened fire at 'karsevaks'.
"The Congress never cherished the Pran Pratishtha ceremony... the party has been hurting the sentiments of Hindus time and again. Did Rahul Gandhi ever visit Ram Mandir ever in his life? No, but he would hurt the sentiments of crore of Hindus through his comments," Mohan Yadav said.
In January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated Ram Mandir in the temple city of Ayodhya, which is part of the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced a major setback when Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad, a nine-time MLA and former minister from the Pasi (Scheduled Caste) community, defeated two-time BJP MP Lallu Singh by over 55,000 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.