In Karnataka, Congress marks consecration with rituals and zeal; say they are Ram bhakts too

In a move that was distinct from the party’s stance at the national level, several senior Congress functionaries in Karnataka celebrated the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya in their own ways, mirroring actions of BJP functionaries.
While Congress’ central leadership in New Delhi decided to skip the event in Ayodhya, chief minister Siddaramaiah and a host of senior ministers in his cabinet marked the occasion by participating in the inauguration of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Lord Hanuman, and Lord Lakshman in Mahadevapura, Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah, while un-veiling a 33-foot monolith statue of Hanuman, emphasised that the gesture was not intended as a counter to the Ayodhya inauguration butrather a symbolic action to affirm the party’s respect for religion and worship.
“Shri Ram should not be confined to any political party,” Siddaramaiah said. “We deny the narrative that we are against Shri Ram. We are also devoted to Lord Ram.”
In a not-so-subtle dig at the saffron party, he said Congress worships “Ram of Mahatma Gandhi and not of BJP”. He also accused the principal opposition in Karnataka of attempting to separate Lord Ram from Sita and Lakshman.
Although the government decided not to declare a holiday in Karnataka on Monday, several Congress legislators organised local events to commemorate the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya.
Prominent Congress functionaries, including transport minister R Ramalinga Reddy, who also holds the muzrai portfolio, and Vijayanagar MLA M Krishnappa, and his son Priya Krishna, participated in pujas in temples and distributed ‘prasada’ and ‘panaka’ in prominent areas in the state capital.
Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar defended the party’s position, saying Congress does not believe in publicising its “bhakti, respect, and religion”. Shivakumar, also president of the Karnataka Congress unit, reiterated, “Siddaramaiah has Rama in his name; I have Shiva in my name. Nobody needs teach us anything or pressurise us. We will do our duty.”