New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has questioned the Congress’ rejection of an invitation to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Janambhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress party and its allies have used the Ram Mandir issue as a political weapon.

“When we were not born, when our party was not even born. At that time, the matter could have been dealt with in the courts. The problem could have had a solution. When India was divided, then at that time it was divided , they could have decided to do that, why? Because it was like a weapon in their hands, a weapon of vote bank politics,” the prime minister said.

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“Even, when the case is going on in the court, they try to delay the court verdict. Why? Because for them, it is a political weapon. They keep saying that the Ram temple will be built and they will kill you. It was a way to appease the vote bank. What happened now? The Ram Mandir was built without any incident and the issue was out of their control,” the Prime Minister said.

“Secondly, their nature. Look at the events at Somnath Mandir till now. What’s wrong with Somnath Mandir? Dr Rajendra Babu wanted to go. No Jan-Sangh, no BJP. But they refused to let him go,” the Prime Minister further said

The Prime Minister criticized the Congress for rejecting an invitation to attend the Pran Partishtha ceremony.

“You should be proud because those people who built the Ram temple, those who also fought for it, they forgot all your sins. They came to your house and invited you. They wanted to start over. You also refused They. Well for you, the vote bank makes you helpless because of this vote bank, things like this keep happening… belittling someone, insulting someone, that’s just what they are.

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“Now, if I go to the Northeast, if people there ask me to wear their clothes, I will wear their clothes. Just kidding too. If I go to Tamil Nadu and wear a longi, you will feel, look, he is doing this, I’m surprised that he’s doing this, there’s so much hate,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister also recalled his spiritual journey when he accepted to participate in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

“When the trust came to me with an invitation from Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, I started thinking that I have been given such a big responsibility, how can I make myself valuable? So I listened to some saints and some people related to me Suggestions. I am not taking this action as Prime Minister, what can I do? I got a lot of suggestions from them and then I also did some research and I decided to do 11 days of Anushtan festival. Often sleeping on the ground, and I decided that wherever Lord Ram goes, wherever I can go, I will try to go there,” the Prime Minister said.

“I went to Srirangam Temple in South India. I studied Khampa Ramayana there. Then the people there told me, sir, 800 years ago, when Khampa Ramayana was When it was created, the first reading took place in this place and I saw everyone in tears, especially in the South, what kind of piety is this? “My journey is a personal journey, but I think. These were 11 very important days in my spiritual journey,” the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Modi also recalled the struggle behind the construction of Ramjanambhoomi temple.

“I once saw 500 years of struggle. I once saw the faith of 1.4 billion people and their dreams. And the poor people of this country. They built the temple by donating money. This temple. I saw three things. One , 500 years, second, using technology, its excavation, evidence, this is a very big thing, third, millions of people in India have given everything they can, they built this A temple. Built because of the government. These are the pride of India, the strength of India, the dream of India, and will inspire the next generation of India.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)