"There is no Leher...," Rahul Gandhi on 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony

Kamrup (Assam) [India], January 23 (ANI): A day after the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the ceremony as a "political programme" of the BJP and dismissed the claims that it had generated any wave (Lehar) among the people.
"There is no 'Leher'. There is nothing as such. It is BJP's political program. Narendra Modi ji addressed the gathering there and held a function, it fine. But we have our clarity- five pillars of justice to strengthen the country," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a press conference in Assam.
Earlier, Congress turned down the invitation to the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony, calling it a 'BJP/RSS event".
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had declined the invitation for the grand event in Ayodhya.
"Lord Ram is worshipped by millions in our country. Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS and BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya. The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has obviously been brought forward for electoral gain. While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgement and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS and BJP event," the Congress had said in a statement.
The Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at Ram Temple in Ayodhya was held on Monday. The Ram Lalla idol was unveiled at the Pran Pratishtha ceremony after the hour-long rituals in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who led the ceremony.
The event saw the participation of about 8,000 invitees, including 1,500-1,600 eminent guests.
The 'Ram Nagri' Ayodhya also grabbed global eyeballs, with earthen lamps or diyas lit up on a massive scale and crackers going up and dazzling the night sky in different parts of the city. (ANI)