Will decide at ‘appropriate time’ about Sonia or other leaders attending Ram Mandir consecration: Congress

Congress leaders to decide on attending Ram Temple inauguration; CWC member Shashi Tharoor questions BJP's promises.

Amid news reports that the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Sonia Gandhi will be attending the consecration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 22, the Congress on December 29 said a decision will taken and communicated at an appropriate time.

Apart from Ms Gandhi, Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too have been invited to the Ram Mandir inauguration.

“Chairman Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge have been invited to the inauguration of the Ram Temple. A decision will be taken at an appropriate time, and communicated at an appropriate time,” party’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh said.

He also distanced the party from the party’s senior leader, Sam Pitroda, who had asked “if Ram Mandir was the real issue or unemployment was”.

“Sam Pitroda’s statement is not an official statement of Congress, he doesn’t speak on behalf of the Congress party,”Mr Ramesh said.

The issue of handling the invitation for the consecration of the Ram Temple has become politically sensitive and has been discussed at the highest level. Sources told The Hindu that soon after Ms Gandhi and Mr Kharge received their invitation, there was a meeting of top leaders to decide the party’s position.

Besides Mr Kharge and Ms Gandhi, other senior leaders who were consulted included P Chidambaram, Ambika Soni, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Surjewala.