In a complete u-turn, the Congress that has been a constant critic of the happenings in Ayodhya with respect to the construction of the Ram Temple now want its party leader Rahul Gandhi to accompany Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to Ayodhya and be part of the bhoomi poojan of the Ram temple in the city, columnist Rasheed Kidwai wrote in News18 on Monday.
The move comes as an interesting one, as the Congress party has been a constant critic of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, who was in charge of the country, when the Babri Masjid was demolished. Besides this, Rao had also ordered the hawala probe that had named several Congress leaders such as Madhavrao Scindia, Kamal Nath, Arjun Singh, N.D. Tiwari, Buta Singh, Bhajan Lal, V.C. Shukla and Sharad Yadav, the report added.
However, most Congress critics of Rao, the report has said, are dead, and the ones who are his strongest backers – Jairam Ramesh and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – are some of Sonia Gandhi’s most trusted advisors.
Last week, the Gandhis acknowledged Rao’s contribution to India’s economic liberalisation that took place in July 1991.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, president, Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said on Sunday. "On August 5 Modi Ji will perform Bhoomi Pujan and will lay silver slab weighing about 35 to 40 kg" Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, president, Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said speaking to ANI.
After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had on November 9 last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a Trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.