AYODHYA: Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Tuesday issued a strong rebuttal to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's claim that President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla because she is a tribal.
Terming Rahul's claim as "completely false, baseless and misleading", Trust secretary Champat Rai in a statement said: "I would like to remind him that the President Droupadi Murmu and her predecessor Ramnath Kovind were invited to the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol." Even seers from SC/ST communities and OBC sections, householders and people who have achieved success in different spheres of life and made India proud, were also invited to the ceremony, said Rai. Service workers associated with temple activities were also present, along with members of minority communities, he added.
Speaking at an election rally in Gujarat's Patan on Monday Rahul had alleged: "Our President is an Adivasi. She is the head of state and the highest in protocol. But when the parliament inauguration happened and when the Ram temple inauguration took place, she was not allowed to attend. It is a matter of shame. She was not allowed to enter either the Ram Temple or the Parliament. Why? Because she is an Adivasi," Gandhi alleged.
Without verifying the facts of the three months old event, such false, baseless, and misleading statements in speeches can create divisions in society, Rai said and termed the Congress politician's remarks as "deeply troubling".
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